This week, WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight hegemon Artur Beterbiev said that if David "The Monster" Benavidez is willing to move from 168 pounds to 175 pounds, then he has no problem and can accept his opponent's challenge.
If Beterbiev and Benavidez do fight, it could cause a huge stir in the United States, and fan interest in this bout could even surpass that of Beterbiev and WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol.
Benavidez, who is now a WBC interim super middleweight champion, has repeatedly expressed his desire to fight divisional supremacy Carneiro Alvarez, saying that he is the only one interested in at the moment, but Benavidez has also said that if he can't achieve his goal, he will consider moving up to 175 pounds.
Regarding Benavidez's possible 175-pound upgrade, Beterbiev made it clear, saying, "Benavidez can be upgraded, that's no problem. ”
When asked if he would be interested in competing with Benavidez, Beterbiev replied without hesitation, saying: "With me, of course, if Benavidez wants to compete, there will be no problem." ”
Now, Beterbiev still needs to remove the next hurdle, which is to face British challenger Callum Smith on January 13 next year, although the outside world thinks that Beterbiev's equalization of Smith is not a big problem, but Beterbiev is older after all, and there is still the possibility of an upset in the fight.
"Right now, I'm just staring at Smith, you ask me about some different fighters, I respect them, but I don't take them seriously, somebody mentions the name of so-and-so fighter as if they're next, that's why I'm laughing," Beterbiev said. ”
The outside world is concerned about whether Benavidez's strength will be weakened if he does rise to 175 pounds, and will he be able to resist the opponent's strength? Benavidez is superior to Beterbiev in height and arm length, but slightly less stout, but Beterbiev has a super hydration ability, and his on-court weight on the night of the fight is often huge, and even considered to be fine in the 200-pound subweight class, plus he has an age advantage, so he is likely to pose a threat to Beterbiev.
After defeating Smith in January, Beterbiev will face the question of a unification fight with Bivol. Bivol will face Lyndon Arthur this week, and there is little suspense in this game, as long as Bivol settles Arthur, it is natural to have his eyes on Beterbiev, and Bivol is looking forward to this contest more than Beterbiev.
At first, the Bivol vs Beterbiev match was in trouble, and for well-known reasons, the WBC refused to approve the match, but now the situation has taken a turn for the better, and Bivol revealed in a recent interview that he spoke with WBC president Mauricio Suleiman and received a positive response that there are no significant obstacles to the fight with Beterbiev.
"We saw Suleiman, talked to him and found a way to achieve this," Bivol said. Suleiman tells us how to achieve this. Now, I don't think it's a big deal. We see a direction, of course, in this way. First of all, this week's victory has to be earned, and when we start talking about the undisputed champions, the opportunity will be taken to fight for the WBC. ”
If Bivol and Beterbiev both win this week's and January's fight, the two should make contact sometime in 2024, but it remains to be seen if a deal can be reached, as there are indications that Beterbiev promoter Bob Arum is not a fan of this kind of rivalry, but there is no suitable opponent for Beterbiev other than Bivol, and a potential clash with Benavidez won't happen too soon, so it will be up to that time.