A few days earlier, Dmitry Bivol vacated his WBC light heavyweight title, paving the way for the interim world champion, David Benavidez to be crowned the full champion. For Bandera Roja, this victory might feel bittersweet as he wanted to fight Bivol for the undisputed championship. However, the bout never materialized, and it was not because of a lack of trying.
Bivol became the undisputed 175 champion after narrowly defeating Artur Beterbiev last month. However, rather than defending the title against WBC mandatory, he is chasing a trilogy fight against Beterbiev. While a trilogy fight is tempting, it leaves the Mexican stranded in the same position that he left the super lightweight division: Not getting a deserving title fight.
The situation seems even like a fever dream when you realize that just like Canelo Alvarez, Bivol also rejected a multi-million offer from team Benavidez. Days after vacating the title, WBC revealed that he rejected an $8 million offer. Far higher than the $2.7 million, he earned against Beterbiev. The decision by the Tokmak-born fighter has left many puzzled. Finally, after days of silence, we have got some answers.
David Benavidez will not step aside
On Monday, Marcos Villegas from Fight Hub TV sat down with Jose Benavidez for a candid conversation. With Bivol fight fallout being the hot topic, Villegas asked, “Was there any sort of offer to step aside to just wait for the third fight to happen? And then go and face the winner,” from Bivol’s camp?
Image Credits: Dmitry Bivol (Instagram)
Benavidez Sr. was clear: there was no offer like that. Furthermore, he clarified that his team refused to be taken as the second choice when they rightfully earned this opportunity. “No, there was no step aside. We don’t do that, you know. Either you fight or you don’t, we’re not going to move to the side just for money,” Benavidez Sr. declared.
When Villegas probed about David Benavidez’s feelings on the matter, the coach revealed that while he was disappointed for not getting the fight, he’s thrilled to be a champion. After all, he has worked hard to reach where he is. Furthermore, when it is the champion who rejects the fight, no one can call him a ‘paper champion.’
“That’s not the way he wanted to get that belt. But at the end of the day, something must happen not to defend the belt. We’re coming for that belt no matter what you know, so he was happy, excited either way, you know he worked so hard to get to where he’s at,” he concluded.
Though things have fallen into place for David Benavidez, his next step remains uncertain. But it seems there’s some promising news on the horizon.
Another super fight looming for the Mexican?
Earlier this week, Matchroom honcho, Eddie Hearn spoke with Fight Hub TV about a potential showdown between David Benavidez and Callum Smith. While we haven’t heard anything from team Benavidez at the moment, Hearn is optimistic regarding the negotiations. With the healthy relationship, the promoter shares with PBC, the WBC light heavyweight champion’s promotion, he is confident.
“We’re talking to Luis about Benavidez against Callum Smith, about Dalton Smith against [Alberto] Puello, [Mark] Magsayo against Rocky Hernandez. We could put a whole card together and it’s great for the sport,” Hearn revealed. He further revealed that Matchroom is closely working with Luis DeCubas Jr. to lock in the Smith-Benavidez fight without any hiccups.
“We’re discussing that fight with Luis. No firm offers made but tell me another fight that Benavidez could make. That light heavyweight division is actually quite thin at the top in terms of big names. I think Callum’s got great options ahead. It’s really interesting and I think David Benavidez against Callum Smith is a hell of a fight,” Hearn concluded.
Furthermore, the winner Smith-Benavidez fight will also make a strong case to face the winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy for the undisputed title. Should Benavidez come out on top, it might force Bivol to face him, ending any chance of dodging the Mexican star.
Do you think we can see David Benavidez challenging for the undisputed crown? Let us know your thoughts down below.
The post Truth Behind Bivol’s $8M Snub Disclosed as David Benavidez Handed Big Loss After WBC Promotion appeared first on EssentiallySports.