You clearly must have if you are asking this. Was widely reported last year. https://www.boxingnews24.com/2025/0...utweigh-a-lucrative-undisputed-title-defense/ https://www.si.com/fannation/boxing...oney-dmitry-bivol-turned-down-david-benavidez
I didn't notice anything in the second video suggesting Benavidez is putting up obstacles to the fight. I also don't see how anyone who is a boxing fan wouldn't want this fight next. The only explanation that makes sense for someone not wanting the fight next is that they are a Bivol fan and think he will lose thus preferring an easier fight. But that's not how boxing is supposed to work. We can't have our favorite fighters avoiding fights because we think they might lose.
Bivol benavidez is THE fight to make at lhw. Would be great. Benavidez didn't seem to be pushing for it a lot in his previous fight, though. Asked for canelo, which obviously will never happen as he would have to go to light heavy and be totally outmatched there. When asked about bivol i remember him saying 'anyone'... With bivol not taking the 8 mio - he didn't fight for 1.5 years and had surgery. Maybe the surgery was so necessary? He probably didn't do that for fun. Right now benavidez is just the bigger draw. Usually boxing business tries not to risk those fighters losing. I would assume benavidez and bivol are up to fight anyone, but benavidez is being told to stay clear of bivol right now. Bivol is older than him anyways. And bivol probably was injured.
Yes you did, assuming that is you actually watched it. He wants the three-belt unified champ and #1 ranked king of the division to fight him in his country and seems very reluctant to fight him in neutral Saudi and his manager/promoter flat-out refused any talk of that happening in neutral Saudi Why in God's name would any world champion from the former Soviet Union agree to fight a top American fighter in the US, let alone one who is being groomed to be the face of US boxing, given their long history of being robbed and robbed blind over there by their 3 obligatory crooked home judges and refs? Bivol would have to KO Benavidez x 2 to come away with a SD loss and he would be an absolute fool to agree to do so. It would be like a swimmer choosing to swim in shark-infested waters where swimmers are routinely devoured by sharks Huh? I never said any of that. My issue is with Benavidez shamelessly ducking the #1 in his division Jai like he has leprosy whilst playing the everyone is ducking me I'm being frozen out victim card and putting roadblocks up re. fighting the #1 at LHW who is the three-belt unified King in neutral Saudi. As said, if he was cut from the same cloth as Usyk those fights would've already happened in Australia and Russia or at worst over in Saudi Now it looks like Benavidez is going to fight Mikaelian next after they petitioned the WBC to poach Mikaelian away from fighting Jai. He has no problem fighting the #2 and now #5 in the division but he starts shaking like a pooping dog when it comes to stepping up to the plate vs #1 ''Now I am become Clenelo, the A-side diva of the boxing world"
After the previous Fight? Really must have missed it. I was pretty sure in the interview after the fight he was first calling for canelo (again: nonsense) and when asked for bivol, he was not saying anything specific, but rather 'anyone'. Well maybe my memory betrays me, it's possible. But that is what i remember
Ironically you are describing a Bivol road block by suddenly for the first time in his career not wanting to fight in the USA, when none of David's other opponents have had an issue with it. Zurdo, Plant, Morrell, Andrade were all happy to fight David in the US. Bivol fought Canelo in the US. Sampson talks crap sometimes he is obviously going to prefer fighting in Vegas but David fought Yarde in Saudi, so he would not have a problem fighting Bivol there. In reality Bivol has not even said he will fight him in Saudi. He won't fight him anywhere. There is no offer nothing. Where is the eddie hearn/Turki offer to fight David in Saudi?