With his unanimous decision win over David Morrell Jnr on Saturday in Las Vegas, David Benavidez gave fans what they needed – a very good performance against a quality opponent – but not what they wanted. No knockout. No Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. No blockbuster.
Of course, Benavidez can’t force Canelo out of hiding any more than he can conjure marquee opponents who are his equal in the ring. So given what we know, the question was posed to our BoxingScene staff: What is the best next fight for Benavidez? Here’s how they answered:
Tris Dixon: I know there’s an obvious answer out there, and it’s the winner of the February 22 Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol rematch, but, style-wise, Benavidez-Beterbiev is preferable. You also can’t discount Benavidez at cruiser, and Jai Opetaia, Zurdo Ramirez and Oleksandr Usyk at 200lbs are all serious fights. But there’s a reason why Canelo-Benavidez topped the wish lists of fights fans wanted to see for so long, and that, in my view, has not deteriorated. I love the styles, the personalities, and I think that fight has fireworks written all over it.
Kieran Mulvaney: Sometimes the answer to such questions takes some thought or invites creativity, and sometimes it’s obvious. This one falls into the latter camp. The clear fight for Benavidez now is the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol II. He doesn’t need any tune-ups; he is ready now to enter the “only truly meaningful fights” phase of his career, and at light heavyweight, they don’t presently come more meaningful than that.
Declan Warrington: The best next fight for Benavidez is Alvarez, in the same way that the best next fight for Alvarez is Benavidez. But given that we all know Alvarez is on course to fight Terence Crawford – questions, by the way, shouldn’t only be directed at Alvarez, but those who will fund Alvarez-Crawford, given that they just as easily could have funded Alvarez-Benavidez – Benavidez ought to target the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol II.
Benavidez against either is not only the biggest, and therefore richest, fight he’s likely to secure if Alvarez continues to show little interest in fighting him, but it would also present him with the opportunity to prove himself the best in the world at 175lbs. If Benavidez is the best in the world at 175lbs and Alvarez proves he remains the best at 168lbs by beating Crawford, Alvarez will be under more pressure than ever to fight him. But even if he still doesn’t, as the best in the world at 175lbs, Benavidez would have started building a legacy of his own, and at least among the purists may even have enhanced it as the fighter Alvarez would never go anywhere near.
David Greisman: My preference, of course, is Benavidez against the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol rematch. However, if Benavidez doesn’t get next – if, for example, Bivol wins and we get a trilogy – then I’d like to see Benavidez against the winner of Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith, which will be on the same February 22 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That would further clear the road for everyone. After all, the downside of being an undisputed champion is having so many mandatory challengers to deal with if you want to hold on to all four of your world titles. Benavidez was already the WBC interim titleholder going into his fight with Morrell and now has seized Morrell’s WBA “regular” title. Buatsi currently holds the WBO interim title at light heavyweight. All of these secondary belts ostensibly have landed them title shots. Of course, that’s why this fight probably won’t happen. Buatsi’s and Smith’s promoters would understandably prefer not to risk the payday and the opportunity.
Ryan Songalia: I don’t think there can be an argument made for anyone else being more qualified for a shot at the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol II than Benavidez. And I don’t think there is any other compelling matchup for Benavidez outside of fighting the one and only champion that emerges from that matchup.
Benavidez has shown in recent fights that he has a style that breaks down more traditional boxer types, so I think it would be fascinating to see how he would do against the versatile Bivol or the fierce-punching Beterbiev. Benavidez has proven that he’s not just someone who makes his name as an avoided fighter; he’s also a draw that gets people talking. Benavidez against the winner is immediately a top-three fight that has to happen. It’d be an absolute shame if he ends up being awarded a vacated title.
Lucas Ketelle: The only fight that makes sense for Benavidez is the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol II. Benavidez just took on a high-risk, low-reward fight with David Morrell Jnr. So it’s only right that he would get a high-risk, high-reward bout for the undisputed light heavyweight title. Benavidez is on a dominant four-fight run – Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Morrell – which is as good as any in the sport currently. Why not continue the trend by facing the best light heavyweight of this generation (or perhaps ever) next?
Owen Lewis: I say this with the caveat that Canelo would be the best opponent if he were at all interested in fighting Benavidez: The best fight for Benavidez is Bivol. Beterbiev should go down as the better light heavyweight, but I thought he showed ever-so-slight signs of slippage in his first bout with Bivol. I expect him to look a little worse this time. He turned 40 years old last month; after another fight with Bivol, a rest and another training camp (and let’s not forget how often Beterbiev gets injured), it would be foolish to expect Beterbiev to look like his old wrecking-ball self against a 28-year-old Benavidez.
Bivol is still in his relatively early 30s, and assuming he doesn’t get ruined in the rematch with Beterbiev, he should make for a sprier, sharper opponent for “The Mexican Monster.” We’ve seen Benavidez beat very good smaller boxers and a destroyer in Morrell. Now let’s see if his combinations and pressure can suffocate an elite light heavyweight boxer. Benavidez trying to rattle the ice-cold Bivol during the promotion, especially by bringing up the old sparring session in which he insists he wobbled Bivol, might also be fun.
Jason Langendorf: Canelo is off the table – he doesn’t want to fight Benavidez, period. No point holding our collective breath on that one. But guess what? There’s a better-than-even chance that the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol slips through Benavidez’s fingers, too. Let’s assume that to be the case. Who’s left?
If we’re getting creative and all daring to be great, the next man up should be Usyk. Morrell is a good fighter and was a worthy foil Saturday, but he wasn’t exactly Frazier to Benavidez’s Ali. Benavidez wants paydays and legacy fights, and Usyk is the only other available opponent near his weight class who fits. After clearing out heavyweight, Usyk has indicated he might return to cruiserweight, where he has always looked more comfortable. Might he and Benavidez be willing to meet at a catchweight between light heavy and cruiser? It could be a bridge too far for Benavidez (he hasn’t had a knockout in two fights since moving up from super middleweight), but imagine the matchup, the promotion, the fight. It could make for the biggest fight of 2025.
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