Benavidez Targets December 12th Return

David Benavidez is targeting a December 12th return, with interim WBC cruiserweight champion Michal Cieslak the expected opponent, according to Mike Coppinger. The fight is expected to land in the Phoenix, Arizona area — Benavidez's birthplace.

The Mikaelian unification that Benavidez had been pushing for is off the table for now, after the WBC champion opted to fight Jai Opetaia on September 12th instead, bypassing the ordered mandatory defence against Benavidez entirely.

Cieslak is a solid if unspectacular opponent. His only professional losses came in title bids against Ilunga Makabu and Lawrence Okolie, and he has won seven straight since the Okolie defeat in 2022 — most recently stopping the faded Jean Pascal. He hasn't gone the distance in a winning effort since 2018, which at least guarantees action.

Benavidez made an emphatic cruiserweight debut, stopping Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez to claim the WBA and WBO titles. A win over Cieslak would add the interim WBC belt and keep him positioned for a full title fight — likely against whoever emerges from the Mikaelian-Opetaia bout on September 12th.