“They’re telling me that the talks to make the light heavyweight unification are not going very well. The amount the Kyrgyz fighter is asking for would be too high,” Sabatini posted on X.
The timing is interesting because Benavidez has been talking openly about wanting Bivol next after his stoppage win over Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on May 2. Benavidez sounded confident afterward that the fight could happen quickly, even speaking about what a win over Bivol would do for his standing in the sport.
The problem is that Bivol still has business ahead of him. He faces Michael Eifert on May 30, and there is also still pressure for a third fight with Artur Beterbiev after the two split their first two bouts. Beterbiev has already been waiting more than a year for the trilogy.
If the money demands are already becoming an issue, Benavidez could find himself stuck watching Bivol move in another direction again.
Sabatini also noted that Bivol could risk losing titles if he chooses not to fight Benavidez. That part becomes important because Benavidez holds the WBC belt at 175, while Bivol controls the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. Sanctioning bodies have already shown little patience lately when champions delay mandatory fights or move toward optional bouts instead of unifications.
Benavidez has already been pushing ideas like a 190-pound catchweight for Bivol. That suggestion looked like an attempt to keep some of the size advantage he carried while campaigning at 168 and now at 175. Whether Bivol is interested in those terms is another question.
Currently, this looks less certain than Benavidez made it sound after beating Zurdo. Bivol still has options, and the Beterbiev trilogy probably remains the bigger fight commercially.
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