David Benavidez To Remain At 175, Targets World Title Shot

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman reports that David Benavidez’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, has informed him that his fighter has chosen to stay at 175 and keep his WBC interim and mandatory position.

Frustration with Lack of Title Shot at 168 lbs

Benavidez will vacate his WBC interim 168-lb title, which was useless given that the World Boxing Council wasn’t showing signs of ordering a fight between him and WBC champion Canelo Alvarez.

The unbeaten Benavidez is the mandatory challenger to face the winner of the October 12th fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Those two will meet for the undisputed 175-lb championship at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Benavidez’s decision to give up his WBC interim and mandatory spot at 168 comes after today’s news of undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez defending against Edgar Berlanga next on September 14th in a dual network broadcast at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Berlanga recently became WBA 168-lb mandatory earlier this year on February 24th, defeating Padraig McCrory. Benavidez had already been waiting for a title shot as Canelo’s WBC mandatory for two years since his win over David Lemieux on May 21, 2022.

With Terence Crawford’s name repeatedly mentioned as a potential opponent for Canelo’s fight in the first quarter of 2025, it was evident that Benavidez would be passed over again and would continue to be indefinitely.

Financial Rewards At 175

Benavidez can make a lot of money fighting the Bivol vs. Beterbiev winner in 2025. The only uncertain thing is whether those two champions will choose to fight a rematch, which would likely happen in the second happen in the first half of next year.

The WBC has just received a letter from @SampsonBoxing exclusive promoter of @Benavidez300 confirming that David Benavidez will continue his career as Lightheavyweight . He is confirmed as WBC 175 interim champion and is the mandatory contender for the winner Beterbiev vs Bivol

— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) July 23, 2024