David Benavidez is set to make his light-heavyweight debut and as such will have a vested interest when Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol finally battle it out for the undisputed crown.
The two men holding all the belts in the 175lb division were set to face each other on June 1, but an injury to Beterbiev put way to those plans and the two now look likely to clash in early 2025.
Benavidez has long been chasing a fight against super-middleweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez, but the 27-year-old appears to have grown tired of waiting for his shot and will make this move up in weight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk next month for the WBC Interim belt.
Turki Alalshikh, the man who holds the key to boxing in Saudi Arabia, has made no secret of the fact he wants to see Benavidez take on the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol.
When speaking to MillCity Boxing the Mexican has little doubt who it is he’ll be facing if those plans come to fruition.
“To be honest with you I think Bivol’s going to win, Bivol is a really dangerous fighter. Beterbiev is a dangerous fighter too but I think he’s like 40-years-old, he’s getting injured, I don’t think he’s the same as what he was but it’ll be an interesting fight.
I think Bivol’s going to win. I think his foot movement and his combination punches are what’s going to do the job and get him the victory.”
Benavidez-Gvozdyk takes place on June 15 in Las Vegas in a card headlined by Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin.
