Bold claim: Benavidez is out to conquer the 175-pound division to chase historic opponents like Bivol and Beterbiev. After stopping Anthony Yarde to defend his WBC light heavyweight title in November, the 29-year-old announced plans to step up a weight class for his next fight. He said he intends to challenge Gilberto Ramirez, the current WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion, though the official announcement hasn’t come yet.
Yet Benavidez envisions a brief cruiserweight stint. “I’m going to fight Zurdo Ramirez,” he told the Danza Project. “Then we’ll come back down, and we’ll make that fight with Dmitry Bivol. After that, we’ll fight Artur Beterbiev.” Since entering the light heavyweight ranks in 2024, facing these elite Russian punchers has been his top objective.
Bivol, fresh off a win over Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) in a rematch that would crown an undisputed champion, was ordered by the WBC to face Benavidez. However, Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) chose instead to drop the belt and pursue a trilogy versus Beterbiev. That planned clash stalled, in part due to Bivol’s back surgery in August.
Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) believes the Russians will have little option but to meet him in the ring eventually. “Sooner or later, they’re going to have to see me.”
Would you like this rewritten version to emphasize the strategic implications of moving between weight classes, or to include a brief primer on how title belts interact across divisions? Also, should I trim any details to tailor it for a specific audience (boxing fans, casual readers, or aspiring fighters)?
