Benavidez Reveals Strategy Behind Next Opponent Choice

David Benavidez (32-0, 26KO), who currently holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles as well as the WBC light-heavyweight title, has outlined his business strategy of choosing to face an inferior opponent so he can collect a fourth world title and negotiate a better deal with his current promoter, PBC.

Following his round 6 stoppage win over Gilberto Ramirez last month to become unified cruiserweight champ (and a 3-division world champ), fans had hoped the 29-year-old unbeaten fighter would move back down to 175-pounds to face Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev, however since he is now the WBC mandatory at 200lbs, he plans to pursue a 3-belt unification fight vs WBC cruiserweight champ Noel Mikaelian, which would be the final fight on his current deal with PBC.

“Right now, I have to be very smart with my fights, because this is the last fight on my contract with PBC. I’m negotiating a new contract. I don’t want to take the hardest fight in the last fight of my deal”, said Benavidez who added, “What I am going to do is fight another champion at cruiserweight, and after I win that fight, I’ll have one world title at light-heavyweight and three titles at cruiserweight. That gives me more leverage to negotiate a bigger contract.”