David Benavidez voiced his frustration in an interview today about waiting for Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev to settle their trilogy so he can fight the winner. Both of the aging light heavyweights are injured, and it’s unclear when they’ll be healthy enough to fight.
Benavidez Tired of Waiting
In the meantime, WBC light heavyweight champion Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is defending against Anthony Yarde in the main event next week on DAZN PPV on November 22nd at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
“It’s a disappointment that I’m not fighting those guys. I respect the fact that Bivol is granting Beterbiev the third fight,” said David Benavidez to DAZN Boxing about his frustration that he’s not fighting unified three-belt light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev.
Benavidez will have to keep busy, fighting whoever Turki Alalshikh wants him to. That could mean fighting the winner of the Callum Smith vs. David Morrell fight if it happens. He’s got the size to fight at cruiserweight and heavyweight. So, that’s an iption as well.
The Trilogy That Won’t Happen
“Now, it’s like, how long is that going to take? When is that going to happen? We waited a whole year and nothing happened. So, now I’m going around and beating the best in the division. Anthony Yarde is ranked #4 and #5. He’s a great fighter,” said Benavidez.
By the time Bivol and 40-year-old Beterbiev wind up meeting in their rematch, it might be the end of the road for both. Bivol is coming off back surgery, and who knows if he’ll make it through training camp without a setback. Beterbiev has yet another ailment that has him back on the shelf. They’ve both made so much money that they might not bother to face Benavidez.
“Now, we’re just picking off the great fighters on the side, waiting for the big dogs. I thought the fight with Callum Smith was going to be a treat for the fans. But even the fight with Anthony Yarde will be a treat for the fans,” said Benavidez.
Yarde, 34, is not a “great fighter.” He’s more of a fringe contender at 175. There aren’t any great fighters among the contender ranks at light heavyweight. There are a few notable ones, such as David Morrell, Imam Khataev, Joshua Buatsi, Arlen Lopez, and Artur Beteriev.
Callum Smith or Morrell Next?
“We were after Callum Smith a little bit more because a victory over him would have brought me another interim title and put me at an even closer position to fight the champions. After this fight, when we get this victory, we’ll probably get Callum next,” said Benavidez.
If WBO interim 175-lb champion Callum Smith loses to David Morrell in their ordered fight, Benaviez won’t be fighting him next unless he’s interested in facing him coming off a loss.
The Danger of a Morrell Rematch
The one who would have possession of the WBO interim title would be Morrell, and that would be a brutal fight for Benavidez. He’s now trained by Abel Sanchez, who will work on addressing the flaws he showed in his loss to Benavidez and his poor performance against Imam Khataev.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Benavidez pass on the idea of fighting Morrell again because he took a lot of punishment against the 27-year-old Cuban last February. If Sanchez does improve Morrell, Benavidez could be heading for his first career defeat if he chooses to face him in a rematch, if the Cuban dethrones Callum Smith.
