{"id":476038,"date":"2026-02-15T07:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T07:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/476038\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T07:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T07:19:11","slug":"why-benavidez-kept-wbc-title-and-stevenson-didnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/476038\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Benavidez Kept WBC Title And Stevenson Didn\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\"Add<\/p>\n

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\n \"Follow
\n <\/a> <\/p>\n

Stevenson followed a different path<\/p>\n

After defeating Teofimo Lopez to win the WBO title at 140 pounds, Stevenson\u2019s team indicated he could return to lightweight while remaining WBC champion.<\/p>\n

No written petition was submitted to the WBC, and no retention process was completed. Without that step, the organization removed him as champion.<\/p>\n

The written petition made the difference<\/p>\n

Sulaiman made clear there was no exception or special treatment in Benavidez\u2019s case. The process exists for any champion who intends to compete outside their division temporarily but wants to preserve their title status.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to keep your title, there are specific rules, and these rules have been in place for decades,\u201d Sulaiman told Chris Mannix<\/a>. \u201cBenavidez is fighting in May as the WBC light heavyweight champion, and he\u2019s fighting at cruiserweight for another organization. He made the petition in writing, and it\u2019s the exact same case that is the way it\u2019s done by the WBC rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

The approval also required a retention fee. The amount, reported at $120,000, is separate from the sanctioning fees tied to defending the belt in a WBC title fight. The payment secures the champion\u2019s standing while competing elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Stevenson never secured his title status<\/p>\n

Stevenson entered a title fight at 140 pounds while still holding the WBC lightweight belt, but his status there was never formally secured. His team spoke about the possibility of returning to 135, yet no written request was filed to preserve his championship standing during the move.<\/p>\n

The WBC\u2019s process requires that step. Without it, Stevenson\u2019s title status ended through procedure rather than defeat, even though he never lost the belt in the ring.<\/p>\n

Benavidez protected his position before moving up<\/p>\n

Benavidez\u2019s decision to file the petition secured his standing at light heavyweight before pursuing cruiserweight titles. His fight against Ramirez will give him access to additional belts without forcing him to abandon his existing championship.<\/p>\n

His long-term plans still include returning to 175 pounds, where potential fights against Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev remain among the most significant available in the division. Holding the WBC title strengthens his position entering those negotiations.<\/p>\n

The contrast between Benavidez and Stevenson exposed how championship status is preserved. One fighter completed the administrative step required to remain champion. The other did not, and the belt changed hands without a punch being thrown.<\/p>\n

Ken Woods has been a senior writer at Boxing News 24 since 2013, covering the sport from every angle. With years of ringside reporting, he delivers fight news, results, and analysis that cut through the noise. Ken\u2019s work consistently spotlights champions, contenders, and rising prospects, giving fans a sharp, knowledgeable view of the global boxing scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stevenson followed a different path After defeating Teofimo Lopez to win the WBO title at 140 pounds, Stevenson\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-476038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}