David Benavidez recently conquered the interim World Boxing Council (WBC) light-heavyweight (175 lbs) title but he will reportedly remain at super middleweight (168 lbs) where he still intends to fight undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Currently, Benavidez is in possession of two interim titles at 168 lbs and 175 lbs but will have to vacate his title according to the WBC’s policy which dictates a fighter has 15 days the time to decide which division they will continue to compete in.
David Benavidez’ (29-0, 24 KO’s) father, Jose Benavidez Sr, and manager Sampson Lewkowicz asserted in a recent interview with BoxingScene that Benavidez would remain at 168 lbs. The aim for a fight between Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO’s) appears to hinge on the month of September; particularly during the Mexican Independence Day weekend which commemorates the independence the nation of Mexico gained from Spain.
While September 16th has been designated as the official date for this celebration, the weekend preceding will also serve as part of the festivities surrounding the holiday, and a match between Alvarez and Benavidez―both of whom are of Mexican descent―during that period would therefore be feasible.
As the WBC’s own rules state, a champion that holds a WBC title in two different divisions must forfeit their title within 15 days.
While champions can be given exceptions as rule 3.15 (Special rule regarding a multiple division champion) states―i.e. Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KO’s) who has held both the WBC lightweight (135 lbs) and super lightweight (140 lbs) titles since last November, Benavidez does not meet the requirements to hold two WBC titles from two different divisions and must forfeit either one.
The ball is now in the WBC’s court to order a fight between David Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez; a mandate they have openly stated to avoid due to reasons that can easily be construed as favoritism for Alvarez.
It therefore remains to be seen whether Benavidez’ choice to stay at 168 lbs will actually pan out. Despite Benavidez currently being in possession of a WBC interim title at super middleweight, it is usually only made available when the WBC world champion [in the same division] is not expected to defend their title in the near future due to inactivity―which is usually prompted by serious long-term injuries.
Alvarez, however, has shown no signs of inactivity over the past couple of years; suggesting the WBC is attempting to purposefully keep Benavidez away from Alvarez by using the interim title as a way to placate Benavidez.
However, this has worked poorly as the WBC has also decided David Benavidez should be the mandatory contender on two occasions during their annual conventions in 2022 and 2023. Despite WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman and the WBC’s Board of Governors having approved of Benavidez becoming a mandatory challenger twice during those conventions―which forced Benavidez to defeat two top 168 lbs contenders in Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade (32-1, 19 KO’s), the sanctioning body has yet to openly acknowledge Benavidez as the WBC mandatory contender at 168 lbs.
