David Benavidez says he hopes a fight can be lined up against former undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in 2026.<\/p>\n
Why 2026 Might Be Too Late<\/p>\n
The downside of the Beterbiev-Benavidez fight happening next year is that Beterbiev turns 41 on January 21. Delaying a battle between them will work against Artur.<\/p>\n
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) states that he would have fought Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) on November 22nd, but he wasn\u2019t offered the fight. Instead, he\u2019ll be defending his WBC light heavyweight title against Anthony Yarde in the main event.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s not a lot of fan interest in that fight, as Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) has already been knocked out in the two previous world title fights against Sergey Kovalev and Beterbiev. Using Yarde as a world title challenger is a bad idea. It would be okay if this were an undercard fight, but not for a headliner.<\/p>\n
Beterbiev will be fighting on the undercard against little-known Deon Nicholson (22-1, 18 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout on the Ring IV: Night of the Champions event.<\/p>\n
\u201cI Wasn\u2019t Offered Beterbiev\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was offered that fight, I would have picked it. I was offered Anthony Yarde. I wasn\u2019t offered Artur Beterbiev,\u201d said David Benavidez to Ring Magazine on X<\/a> when asked why he chose to fight Anthony Yarde on November 22 rather than Artur Beterbiev, who is scheduled to fight on his undercard.<\/p>\n Benavidez said he also wanted to fight IBF, WBA, and WBO light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, but he didn\u2019t want to face him. Bivol vacated his WBC title rather than face Benavidez.<\/p>\n \u201cThe contract was signed already before they came to an agreement that they [Dmitry Bivol and Beterbiev] weren\u2019t going to fight. So, there was nothing I could do with that. Hopefully, later next year we could get that fight with Beterbiev,\u201d said Benavidez.<\/p>\n If Bivol isn\u2019t going to fight Benavidez, he might as well fight Beterbiev to put on a fight that the fans would want to see early next year.<\/p>\n Dan Ambrose has covered boxing since 2011, offering trusted insight on the sport\u2019s biggest fights.<\/p>\n Dan Ambrose has been a leading voice at Boxing News 24 for years, known for his no-nonsense takes on the sport. Love him or hate him, Dan has built a strong following thanks to his outspoken analysis, direct opinions, and in-depth coverage of the global boxing scene.<\/p>\n His articles often spark debate among fans, as he isn\u2019t afraid to challenge popular narratives or question fighters\u2019 performances. Alongside his opinion pieces, Dan provides fight news, previews, and post-fight breakdowns that give readers both detail and perspective.<\/p>\n