David Benavidez has accepted Turki Alalshikh’s invitation to attend the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch this Saturday, February 22nd, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is a prime photo op for Benavidez to showcase him at ringside to get fans excited about him fighting Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) next.
Lance Pugmire reports that Benavidez has accepted the invitation from Turki to be ringside for Beterbiev-Bivol 2 on Saturday.
Trilogy Question
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is the WBC mandatory and next in line to challenge the winner of Saturday’s fight. However, Turki wants a trilogy if Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) defeats Beterbiev.
Benavidez could be coming to Riyadh for nothing in that case. He’ll have to decide whether to wait for the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 trilogy or stay busy by fighting someone.
Boxing fans would like to see a rematch between Benavidez and David Morrell of their fight on February 1st. Benavidez took a lot of heavy punishment in winning a 12-round unanimous decision with the scores 118-108, 115-111, and 115-111. He might not want to risk a second fight because Morrell clearly had him figured out in the last three rounds, taking the fight to him and dropping him in the 11th.
“Dmitry is a winner. It’s the first time he has suffered a defeat. We feel like he should have won the fight. It’s over now,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing News about his fighter Dmitry Bivol fighting Artur Beterbiev this Saturday night in a rematch. “It’s going to be a very tough night’s work for him again on Saturday, and I believe he’ll win again on Saturday.
“I feel like it’s got to go his way. You know it’s going to be a close fight. They’re two unbelievable fighters. It’s interesting to see how they both adapt, and it’s interesting to hear Dmitry say he wasn’t 100% last time. I hope he is on Saturday, and if he is, I believe he wins the fight.
Last Updated on 02/18/2025