Dmitry Bivol vs David Benavidez: Negotiation Truth Revealed

Dmitry Bivol vs David Benavidez has been rumoured, with reports suggesting a fight is close to being finalized. However, Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks Unite has clarified the negotiation status via his X account. Rafael reveals that according to Benavidez’s manager, Sampson Lewkowicz, despite offers being exchanged, the fight is “not close to being finalized.” Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, has also confirmed that no deal is imminent.

Dmitry Bivol vs David Benavidez: Negotiation Status Clarified

Managers of Both Confirm Fight Not Finalized Yet

The first tweet from Rafael said: Per Benavidez promoter @SampsonBoxing “this is false. Both sides have made offers to the other but are not ‘close to being finalized‘ at all.“ This was further corroborated by Lewkowicz, who retweeted Rafael’s post.

A further post on X from Rafael read: Per Bivol manager @VadimKTeam “We are not close to finalizing Benavidez. We are not close to finalizing anything at this point. We are 2 weeks away from fighting 4 big fights in 1 year’s time. And right now we are just close to our kids and relatives.”

Dmitry Bivol vs David Benavidez: Turki Alalshikh

Bivol, fresh off avenging his loss to Beterbiev in their highly anticipated rematch, has always seemed prepared to face anyone. However, His Excellency has made it clear he’s no longer interested in pushing for Bivol-Benavidez, stating:

“I am no longer interested in Bivol-Benavidez and I will not bid on it. I think Bivol knows who has delivered for him and who hasn’t. My advice to Bivol: don’t be late because every day something changes.”

The WBC has already ordered Bivol to make a mandatory defence against Benavidez, the interim titleholder. However, with Alalshikh seemingly not keen on the fight, it’s unclear what the next steps will be for both Bivol and Benavidez.

If Beterbiev is seeking a trilogy against Bivol, it seems hard to ignore that possibility, even if it doesn’t involve all the belts. Meanwhile, Benavidez, eager for his title shot, will likely demand a significant fight and assurances that he’ll get his chance soon.

Despite both camps denying that a fight is being finalized, they have confirmed that offers have been made. While this fight could still happen, it’s clear that it’s not close to being finalized.