David Benavidez's Father Teases Big News

David Benavidez's return to the ring could be close to being set in stone.

Benavidez's father and trainer, Jose Benavidez, teased in an Instagram post that a big announcement could be right around the corner. In the same post, he posted a video showing Benavidez is back in the gym after his unanimous decision victory over David Morrell on Feb. 1.

One potential option for Benavidez's (30-0, 24 KOs) next fight is undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. Julius Julianis reported that a bout between the two was close to being finalized, but it was quickly refuted by Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks Unite, who got in contact with the managers of both fighters.

Sampson Lechowicz, Benavidez's manager, said there have been conversations with Bivol's team, but nothing is close to being finalized. Bivol's manager, Vadim Kornilo, said they aren't close to finalizing any fight and that Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) and his team are enjoying time with their family. Bivol avenged the lone loss of his career in his last fight with a majority decision victory over Artur Beterbiev on Feb. 22 in the rematch to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion.

Per Bivol manager @VadimKTeam: “We are not close to finalizing Benavidez. We are not close to finalizing anything at this point. We are 2 weeks away from fighting 4 big fights in 1 year’s time. And right now we are just close to our kids and relatives.” https://t.co/w2LiVpNWvp
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) March 10, 2025

If Bivol vs. Benavidez is indeed next, it'll seemingly be without Turki Alalshikh, who helped put together the two fights between Bivol and Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) for the undisputed light heavyweight title. Alalshikh said he won't be bidding on the potential bout and pressured Bivol into making a decision for his next fight before it's too late.

“I am no longer interested in Bivol-Benavidez and I will not bid on it," Alalshikh said. "I think Bivol knows who has delivered for him and who hasn’t. My advice to Bivol: don’t be late because every day something changes.”

The WBC named Benavidez as the mandatory challenger for Bivol's belt last week.

Bivol could opt to face Beterbiev for a third fight, which would leave Benavidez on the sidelines while those two duke it out in the rubber match. If that happens, a bout against former super middleweight champion and current WBO interim light heavyweight champion Callum Smith could be on the ledger. A win for Benavidez or Smith would give either fighter a secondary title for three of the four major sanctioning bodies and all but guarantee the winner a shot at the winner of the third bout between Bivol and Beterbiev.

Regardless, Benavidez's next fight should either be for most or all of the belts against Bivol or Beterbiev or position him for a bout against one of the two.

The Latest Boxing News

Top 5 Fights To Make In Boxing, Feat. Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, Oleksandr Usyk, Dmitry Bivol & More

Boxing Schedule (Mar 10-16): Dates & Times For Thurman vs Jarvis, Ball vs Doheny, Kenshiro Teraji & More

Shawn Porter Pinpoints What Shakur Stevenson Does Better Than Floyd Mayweather

Canelo Alvarez Talks Up Terence Crawford Fight And Dismisses Weight Gap As Potential Factor