Oscar De La Hoya has backed a reigning world champion to get the better of Dmitry Bivol.
Bivol achieved his career long dream of becoming an undisputed world champion when he defeated Artur Beterbiev in their thrilling rematch in Riyadh on February 22.
The 34-year-old from Russia put on an impressive display against his bitter rival to capture the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO world titles at 175lbs, avenging his maiden career defeat which he suffered in their first encounter last October.
It is now expected that a trilogy showdown will take place at some stage before the end of 2025, with the winner of this likely to cement their place as the greatest light heavyweight of an entire generation.
Despite Bivol’s admirable success over the course of his tenure, De La Hoya believes there is one fighter in particular that can defeat the 34-year-old should they be given the opportunity to do so.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, ‘The Golden Boy’ admitted that he would favour newly-crowned WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez in a showdown with Bivol, as he believes the 28-year-old is a ‘smarter’ fighter.
“That’s a tough one. I would go with Benavidez because he’s more active and throws more punches and has better footwork than Beterbiev. He’s smarter up there and knows how to think and how to adjust. I would favour Benavidez.”
Benavidez was recently elevated to WBC champion at 175lbs after Bivol made the decision to vacate his crown. ‘The Monster’ had been the mandatory challenger to the 34-year-old, who opted to vacate the title to pursue a trilogy bout against Beterbiev.
‘The Monster’ made the move up to light heavyweight last year after a successful campaign at 168lbs, defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk via unanimous decision to claim the WBC ‘Interim’ title.
