Discussing what should come next, Mora argued that Benavidez is the fight that makes the most sense.
“Benavidez, the Mexican Monster. We hear how David Benavidez talks about sparring Bivol. You could see the hunger. You could see the anticipation. And you could see the eagerness to be great,” said Mora on Chris Mannix’s channel. “David Benavidez wants to steal those Cinco de Mayo dates, the September 16th Mexican Independence Day. He wants to fight Canelo. Canelo will never fight him. He wants to chase Bivol. He wants to chase every single fighter that refuses to face each other. The Mexican Monster wants to face him. So, of course, I want Benavidez to go after Bivol because he would force Bivol into a fight just like Beterbiev.”
Mora added that Benavidez would answer lingering questions about Bivol’s current level after a performance he described as “pedestrian” and “lackluster.”
Mannix took the opposite view on the trilogy with Beterbiev, arguing that the rivalry still deserves a deciding chapter after the two champions split their first two fights.
“It’s 1-1 between the two great light heavyweights of this generation. We got to know who is the better of the two,” said Mannix.
Chris acknowledged that Benavidez remains one of the biggest fights available at 175 pounds and one of the few opponents capable of forcing Bivol into an aggressive fight.
Bivol is currently being linked to several options, including a mandatory defense against Callum Smith, a third fight with Beterbiev, or a showdown with Benavidez, who recently stopped Gilberto Ramirez to add the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles to his collection. The debate over which fight comes next appears far from settled.
