Promoter: David Benavidez set for December return

David Benavidez may have one more fight in 2024. According to his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, the former super middleweight titleholder and current light heavyweight contender should have a date in December.

“We will secure the opponent, but we need to secure the venue and the date with the PBC,” Lewkowicz told BoxingScene.

Benavidez is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former lineal 175-pound champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June on pay-per-view as the chief support underneath Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin. That brought the 27-year-old to 29-0 (24 KOs).

Benavidez was dealing with two injured hands and a cut coming into the bout, Lewkowicz said.

“I remember Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez, he fought with broken ribs. Fighters like that, he doesn’t want to lose the opportunity, and he take a chance, and Benavidez took a big chance,” the promoter said. 

Why? Because that win over Gvozdyk earned Benavidez the WBC’s interim world title at light heavyweight – and a shot at the winner of the upcoming undisputed championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Given that Benavidez couldn’t get his long-awaited, long-earned shot at super middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez, picking up this interim belt at 175 allowed Benavidez more options, and leverage to hopefully ensure he could land the fight at light heavyweight. Benavidez ultimately chose to remain at 175 rather than return to 168 for a Canelo bout that seemed unlikely at any point in the near future.

“He was sacrificing to make 168, and then without Canelo it doesn’t mean nothing,” Lewkowicz said. 

Beterbiev vs. Bivol is scheduled for October 12. Lewkowicz said it makes sense to keep Benavidez active rather than wait on the sidelines. 

“We’re not stopping the career of David Benavidez,” he said. “You’re making good money. Why should we wait for the big one when he can continue working himself and defending the [interim] title? Hopefully we can make the fight, and we’ll see. He will be the mandatory anyway for whoever wins.”

Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.