Benavidez Says He Hurt Bivol In Sparring, “Not Impressed”

David Benavidez says he wasn’t impressed with Dmitry Bivol when he sparred him in the last. He states that he hurt him.

WBC light heavyweight champion Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) says he hopes that he can get a fight against the 34-year-old Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) or Artur Beterbiev because he feels that they’re both leaving their prime.

Benavidez is defending his WBC title next against Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) on November 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He states that he hasn’t been told that he’ll get the chance to fight IBF, WBA, and WBO champion Bivol or Beterbiev after they meet for their trilogy.

‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez does believe he will eventually get the opportunity to face them sooner or later. Given their injury problems and advancing ages, he may not get the chance. Bivol and Beterbiev are already wealthy from two fights, both of which reportedly paid $10 million each.

Bivol’s Style Fails to Impress

“I didn’t go in there thinking I’m really impressed at what he does. He moves around a lot, he keeps his distance, uses his jab, and he has a good one-two,” said David Benavidez to Boxing News when asked what his thoughts were on his sparring with Dmitry Bivol.

The sparring session that Benavidez had with Bivol was eight years ago, when he was 22. At this point, a fight between them would likely be a much different situation due to the size he’s packed on and his maturity. Bivol didn’t look that great in either of his two fights with Beterbiev. Those performances showed that he struggles when pressured.

“I’m not really impressed with him. I know he’s a good fighter,” said Benavidez about Bivol. “When I’m in with a good fighter, I go to the next level myself. I don’t treat the sparring like sparring sessions. I treat them like real fights. Anything can happen at any given moment.”

Benavidez took a lot of hard punches in his last fight against David Morrell on February 1, 2025. The fight showed that he’s not the same steel-chinned fighter he was at 168. Morrell had Benavidez hurt in rounds two and four. He dropped him in round eleven.

Aging Rivals, Rising Monster

“These guys are getting out of their prime,” said Benavidez about Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. “I’m stepping into my prime. If it doesn’t happen now, it’ll happen later. I think Beterbiev would be a more fan-friendly fighter. It would be a harder fight. Beterbiev is more of a rugged in-your-face type. Bivol is more of a you have to go hunt him down.”

Of the two, Benavidez might have a better shot at getting a fight against Beterbiev because he’s fearless and won’t hesitate to face him after he’s done with his trilogy match against Bivol.