Will Bivol Dodge Benavidez? Stevenson Says It Is A Huge Fight, But Promoters May Block It

Shakur Stevenson believes a fight between undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and WBA mandatory David Benavidez is now one of the “biggest fights” that can be made in boxing.

When Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) edged Artur Beterbiev last Saturday night with a 12-round majority decision in Riyadh, he inherited his WBC mandatory Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs), which is a lot of trouble due to his high punch output, power, chin, youth, and fearlessness.

“Benavidez vs. Bivol is up there with the best fights that can be made in the sport of boxing,” said Shakur Stevenson to Ring Magazine about a fight that he feels is one of the best right now.

Bivol’s Options

It’s not a surprise that Bivol’s promoters at Matchroom are focusing on other fights for him, and it’s possible that if the World Boxing Council attempts to force his hand, the belt will be cast adrift. That way, Bivol can pursue easier fights that will pay well.

Turki Alalshikh will decide who Bivol faces next, but promoter Eddie Hearn has a lot of influence on him due to their friendship. If Hearn chooses to have Bivol skip Benavidez forever, he can do that by sacrificing the WBC belt or ignoring him.

The WBC has allowed popular fighters to hold onto their belts years without ordering them to defend the strap. Bivol is popular enough to circumvent his mandatory WBC and fight whoever he pleases, be it Beterbiev, Canelo Alvarez or Callum Smith. Those are the big three that Hearn mentioned recently as fighters that he’s interested in Bivol fighting next.

What makes it even less likely that Benavidez will get a chance to fight Bivol is his past success sparring him. He revealed in an interview that he lit him up with a 20-punch burst and that he came close to going down. Benavidez says he was then told after the round that he would not be allowed to spar Bivol again.