{"id":173119,"date":"2025-04-09T04:38:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T04:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/no-bivol-no-problem-benavidez-sr-talks-title-defenses-after-wbc-shake-up\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T04:38:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T04:38:25","slug":"no-bivol-no-problem-benavidez-sr-talks-title-defenses-after-wbc-shake-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/no-bivol-no-problem-benavidez-sr-talks-title-defenses-after-wbc-shake-up\/","title":{"rendered":"No Bivol, no problem? Benavidez Sr. talks title defenses after WBC shake-up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"ue-c-article--first-letter-highlighted\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marca.com\/en\/boxing\/dmitry-bivol.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dmitry Bivol&#8217;s<\/a> decision to vacate the WBC light heavyweight title<\/strong> came as a shock to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marca.com\/en\/boxing\/2025\/01\/16\/6789322822601dc22d8b4578.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jose Benavidez Sr<\/a>.<\/strong>-not just because of the timing, but because of what it means for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marca.com\/en\/boxing\/david-benavidez.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David Benavidez&#8217;s<\/a> next move.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t think Bivol would drop the belt like that,&#8221;<\/em><strong>Benavidez Sr.<\/strong> said in a recent interview with <strong>MillCity Boxing<\/strong>. <em>&#8220;We were hoping to make that fight happen.&#8221; <\/em>Now, with Bivol focused on finishing his trilogy with unified champ <strong>Artur Beterbiev,<\/strong> Team Benavidez is pivoting-and quickly.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ue-c-article__summary\">\n<figure class=\"ue-c-article__media ue-c-article__media--video  video-dailymotion ue-c-article__media-video-responsive ue-c-article__media-video-responsive--16-9\"><figcaption class=\"ue-c-article__media-caption\" itemprop=\"description\">\n<p><span class=\"ue-c-article__media-description\">David Benavidez and David Morrell raise the temperature with aggressions in face-to-face confrontation<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Instead of waiting around, <strong>Jose Sr. <\/strong>is already floating two high-profile names as potential first title defense opponents for David: <strong>Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde<\/strong>. Neither bout is a cakewalk, but both offer serious intrigue for fans.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jose Benavidez Sr Reacts to Dimtry Bivol relinquishing his WBC Belt! Did Bivol Just\ud83e\udd86David Benavides?\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fHUlmC5-YC0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ue-c-article__subheadline\">With Bivol out, the road gets tougher, but Benavidez still wants all the smoke<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Anthony Yarde<\/strong> is set to fight <strong>Lyndon Arthur<\/strong> in London on April 26, which could push <strong>any potential showdown<\/strong> with Benavidez to late summer or early fall. Meanwhile, <strong>Callum Smith<\/strong> is coming off a rebound performance following his loss to Beterbiev and holds the <strong>WBO interim belt<\/strong>, giving him leverage to wait for the <strong>Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy<\/strong> fallout.<\/p>\n<p>That leverage may be the sticking point. <em>&#8220;Smith&#8217;s promoter, Eddie Hearn, might not want to risk that WBC fight if he thinks Bivol or Beterbiev is a better payday,&#8221;<\/em><strong>Benavidez Sr. <\/strong>acknowledged.<\/p>\n<p>Still, <strong>Team Benavidez<\/strong> is staying flexible-and aggressive. <em>&#8220;Whoever the fans want, we&#8217;ll fight. These are not easy fights, but we&#8217;re not looking for easy,&#8221; <\/em><strong>Jose Sr. said<\/strong>. <em>&#8220;We just want to keep pushing forward.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The long-term goal remains unchanged: a mega-fight with either<strong> Bivol or Beterbiev<\/strong>, depending on how that trilogy shakes out. <em>&#8220;Let them finish their business. We&#8217;ll be ready for the winner-or loser,&#8221;<\/em><strong>Benavidez Sr.<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n<p>And in case anyone forgot,<strong> Canelo&#8217;s name is still floating in the ether.<\/strong><em>&#8220;We&#8217;ll fight him at 168, 175, cruiserweight-whatever,&#8221; <\/em>said <strong>Jose Sr.<\/strong><em>&#8220;But with him, there&#8217;s always some excuse.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Until then, it&#8217;s all eyes on who steps up first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    var utag_data = {};<\/p>\n<p>    window.addEventListener('ue-dfp-loaded', (s) => {\n        let urls = [\n            {\n                url: 'https:\/\/tags.tiqcdn.com\/utag\/unidadeditorial\/marca\/prod\/utag.sync.js'\n            },\n            {\n                url: 'https:\/\/tags.tiqcdn.com\/utag\/unidadeditorial\/marca\/prod\/utag.js'\n            },\n            {\n                url: '\/\/e00-elmundo.uecdn.es\/js\/uecomscore_cmp_event.js'\n            },\n            {\n                url: 'https:\/\/cdn.permutive.com\/10453011-272d-49cd-9043-1964fdb36fd8-web.js'\n            },\n            {\n                url: 'https:\/\/e00-marca.uecdn.es\/assets\/v31\/js\/ue-utils.js'\n            }\n        ]<\/p>\n<p>        urls.forEach((item) => {\n            let a, b, c, d, e;\n            a = item.url;\n            b = document;\n            c=\"script\";\n            d = b.createElement(c);\n            d.src = a;\n            d.type=\"text\/java\" + c;\n            d.async = !0;\n            d.onload = item.callback ? item.callback : null;\n            e = b.getElementsByTagName(c)[0];\n            e.parentNode.insertBefore(d, e);\n        });<\/p>\n<p>        if (!document.body.hasAttribute(\"data-ue-special\")){\n            let taboolaIsRun = false;<\/p>\n<p>            function taboola_loader() {\n                if (taboolaIsRun) return<\/p>\n<p>                if(typeof isLatamRequest !== 'undefined' && isLatamRequest){\n                    !function (e, f, u) {\n                        e.async = 1;\n                        e.src = u;\n                        f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);\n                    }(\n                        document.createElement('script'),\n                        document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],\n                        '\/\/cdn.taboola.com\/libtrc\/cmi-network\/loader.js'\n                    );\n                }else{\n                    taboolaIsRun = true;\n                    window._taboola = window._taboola || [];\n                    _taboola.push({ article: 'auto', tracking: 'intcmp=BOOREC&taboola_source=taboola&taboola_medium=internal-referral' });\n                    !function (e, f, u, i) {\n                        if (!document.getElementById(i)) {\n                            e.async = 1;\n                            e.src = u;\n                            e.id = i;\n                            f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);\n                        }\n                    }(document.createElement('script'), document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0], \"https:\/\/cdn.taboola.com\/libtrc\/unidadeditorial-marca\/loader.js\", 'tb_loader_script');\n                    if (window.performance && typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') { window.performance.mark('tbl_ic'); 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