Benavidez's Camp Fires Back At Beterbiev

The war of words between the Benavidez and Beterbiev camps has escalated, with Jose Benavidez Sr. pushing back forcefully against Artur Beterbiev's suggestion that his son's team avoided a fight with the former undisputed heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion.

"They're lying. We want to fight him. Let's make that fight happen. Tell the manager to contact me, and we will make that fight happen in five minutes. Do you have his manager's number? Let's go," Benavidez Sr. said

Beterbiev's version of events places the Benavidez camp in an unflattering light. The Russian-Canadian claims he sought to arrange the fight after stopping Anthony Yarde in November 2025, only for the Benavidez side to change direction and opt for Gilberto Ramirez — a move Beterbiev interpreted as avoidance.

"Benavidez is the kind of guy who talks a lot more than he does. His team apparently didn't expect me to agree to fight him so quickly after the Yarde victory, so they immediately changed their mind and chose Ramirez. That's foreign to me," Beterbiev said.

Benavidez stopped Ramirez in six rounds on May 2 to claim the unified WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles, continuing his rise through the divisions following his earlier WBC light heavyweight title reign. His camp has stated that the target remains Dmitry Bivol, with Beterbiev positioned as the secondary option at light heavyweight — and the possibility of Bivol and Beterbiev meeting for a third time potentially closing both doors for the remainder of the year.