Terence Crawford has offered his thoughts on a showdown between Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez.
Bivol defeated Artur Beterbiev in February 2024 to become undisputed light heavyweight champion, gaining revenge after Beterbiev had come out on top in their first meeting four months earlier.
Since then, Bivol has vacated the WBC world title, which was awarded to Benavidez, but he has not fought since after recovering from back surgery.
Now, his comeback against Germany’s Michael Eifert has been announced and will take place at the end of May, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with Bivol set to defend his WBA, WBO and IBF unified titles.
Meanwhile, Benavidez is set to step up to the cruiserweight division for a legacy-enhancing scrap with WBA and WBO titleholder Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, on Saturday, May 2. ‘The Mexican Monster’ has said he will return to light-heavyweight rather than remain at cruiserweight, and has been permitted to keep his WBC belt.
Bivol and Benavidez will then be on a similar timeline and talks of another undisputed clash will no doubt follow, despite Beterbiev hoping to secure a trilogy fight with the Kyrgyzstan-born champion.
Speaking on X in a Q&A with his followers, recently-retired star Crawford admitted that he believes Bivol-Benavidez to be a ’50/50’ affair.
“That is a good one. 50/50.”
It is indeed a fascinating clash of styles, hinging on whether Benavidez can impose his high-pressure, high-volume style, or if Bivol’s movement and precision can dictate the tempo to avoid being drawn into a more aggressive affair.
Bivol has previously stated that he intends to take on ‘The Mexican Monster,’ but that the fight may have to wait until after he has completed a third fight with Beterbiev. Benavidez wants it to happen straight after his fight with Ramirez in May.
