Injuries to Bivol and Beterbiev and mandatory status challenge Benavidez’s exit from 175
David Benavidez says he moved up because top light heavyweights avoided him. The timeline shows Dmitry Bivol recovering from back surgery and Artur Beterbiev dealing with injuries while Benavidez held mandatory status at 175.
“That’s exactly why I went up to the cruiserweight division because I had all these people ducking me. I was supposed to fight Dmitry Bivol. I couldn’t get that fight,” said Benavidez to ESPN.
Claiming Bivol ducked him ignores that Bivol had back surgery in August 2025 to fix a herniated disk. Similarly, Beterbiev, who is now 41, has spent more time in physical therapy than in the ring lately, dealing with a ruptured meniscus and various muscle tears.
The reality is that Benavidez was far from “avoided” at light heavyweight. He actually stayed busier than the champions, taking on Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Anthony Yarde, and David Morrell all within a roughly 12-month span. By beating Morrell in February 2025, he became the mandatory, meaning the big fights were legally locked in once the champions were healthy.
The ‘everyone is scared of me’ narrative is a powerful tool for building a brand, especially for a fighter like Benavidez who wants to maintain that ‘Mexican Monster’ aura. By presenting the move to cruiserweight as a forced migration, he paints himself as the ultimate “boogeyman” that even legends are afraid to face.
If the move was purely about finding the biggest and best challenges because 175 was too easy, the choice of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for this weekend’s May 2nd fight is telling.
By choosing Zurdo, Benavidez is taking a high-reward title fight against a name he’s sparred with and knows well, while steering clear of Jai Opetaia, who is currently the most dangerous operator in the 200-pound division.
It looks like the ducking narrative is a convenient way to keep his fans engaged while he waits for Bivol and Beterbiev to finish their trilogy and heal up. He’s getting a title in a third division and a massive Cinco de Mayo payday, all while playing the victim. It’s smart business, even if it’s factually flimsy.
