David Benavidez Receives Saudi Royal’s Backing for Bivol, Canelo, and Beterbiev Fights

David Benavidez has spent years chasing a shot at Canelo Alvarez. In the end, he was forced to move up a weight class empty-handed. Determined not to let history repeat itself in the light heavyweight division, the 28-year-old set his sights on Dmitry Bivol. He was the WBC’s mandatory challenger after Bivol defeated Artur Beterbiev in their undisputed rematch. By then, the undefeated Mexican had already made a statement with a dominant win over David Morrell, positioning himself as the No.1 in line for Bivol’s WBA title as well.

However, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh had no interest in making that fight instead choosing to focus on the trilogy. To make matters worse, Dmitry Bivol vacated the WBC belt to avoid the matchup, seemingly prioritizing a rubber match with Artur Beterbiev. That plan collapsed when Bivol underwent back surgery for an old injury, delaying everything further. Now, David Benavidez, with the WBC title in hand, is gearing up for a fight against Anthony Yarde on November 22 in Riyadh. Still, Benavidez remains confident he’ll get to face them all—Canelo, Bivol, and Beterbiev—before his journey is over.

“I’m probably going to have to take the hardest route out of any fighter because this side of the street there’s Beterbiev, there’s Bivol, there’s maybe Canelo in the future,” Benavidez told Fight Hype in a recent interview. “I’m fine with that. That doesn’t scare me at all.” Notably, Beterbiev, who wasn’t happy about Bivol’s withdrawal before the trilogy, is now scheduled to face WBA No. 11 contender Deon Nicholson on the same card as Benavidez.

This means Benavidez must wait even longer for a shot at Bivol or Beterbiev. Despite the delays, however, Benavidez appears unbothered and patient. “Well, the first thing that keeps me cool at peace is [that] I’ve been making really good money. And also, you just can’t rush it, bro. Everybody has their time,” Benavidez said. In the meantime, though, Benavidez seems happy about “getting better… getting more experience… [and] becoming more of a household name.” 

Interestingly, the reason Benavidez isn’t worried about the repeated delays is because of HE Turki Alalshikh. Benavidez seems confident that the Saudi Royal is willing to make all those fights eventually. “It looks like it’s very close to [happening]. Like I said, Turki Alalshikh is willing to make all these fights happen,” Be