Eddie Hearn says talks have started for a Dmitry Bivol-David Benavidez fight for the undisputed light heavyweight championship, with discussions already held with Benavidez co-promoter Luis De Cubas. The matchup would put all four major belts at 175 pounds on the line if both fighters handle the next step on their May schedule.
Bivol holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles, while Benavidez owns the WBC belt after moving to the top of the division earlier this year. Hearn said he wants fighters of that caliber, saying the sport needs men who are chasing greatness, unification and undisputed status.
The timing still depends on two separate fights that sit in the way. Benavidez is due to face Gilberto Ramirez on May 2 in Las Vegas, and Bivol is set to defend against Michael Eifert on May 30 in Russia. Only if both win would the path open to a fight for the undisputed championship.
That is where the story becomes more complicated. Ramirez is the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion, and Benavidez is moving between light heavyweight and cruiserweight, which adds another layer to the scheduling and to the appeal of the bout. A loss to Ramirez would be Benavidez’s first professional defeat, and it would also end the immediate case for a Bivol fight built around an undisputed title.
For now, Hearn has put the idea on the table, and the next few weeks will decide whether it becomes the kind of 175-pound fight boxing has been circling for months or just another high-end possibility that never quite reaches the ring.