Benavidez confirms early talks with Bivol for 190-pound catchweight

David Benavidez has opened negotiations for a fight with Dmitry Bivol, though the newly crowned cruiserweight champion says any matchup will have to wait until Bivol clears his IBF mandatory in May.

Benavidez, who stopped Gilberto Ramirez last weekend to claim the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, told Sean Zittel on The Porter Way Podcast that talks have already begun behind the scenes. "We're already in talks with that," he said, per The Ring. "But first things first. We got to see how he comes out, like if he comes out with any injuries. I don't think he's going to have any problems in that type of way. But that fight is definitely happening."

Benavidez proposes 190-pound catchweight with all titles on the line

The WBC heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion has floated a catchweight bout at 190 pounds that would put both his cruiserweight straps and Bivol's light heavyweight titles at stake. "Maybe we can do a catchweight at 190," Benavidez said. "We get the cruiserweight belts involved, we get the light heavyweight belts involved, and winner takes all." If Bivol declines that format, Benavidez insists he can drop back to 175 after weighing in at 196¾ for Ramirez.

Bivol defends his Ring, IBF, WBA, and WBO light heavyweight titles against Michael Eifert on May 30 in Russia. The unbeaten Benavidez said he expects that fight to go smoothly and pave the way for a showdown later in the year. He ruled out a September date on Mexican Independence Day weekend, pointing instead to a late 2026 timeline if the sides finalize terms.

Benavidez sits one spot ahead of Bivol in The Ring's pound-for-pound rankings at No. 5. The WBC ordered Bivol to face Benavidez early last year, but the Russian champion vacated to pursue a third fight with Artur Beterbiev after splitting two meetings.

Source: ringmagazine.com