“I think he likes the Bivol fight. That’s a fight that we’re discussing with Luis De Cubas,” said Hearn to Fight Hub TV.
Bivol currently holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles at 175 pounds, while Benavidez owns the WBC belt he claimed earlier this year. If completed, the bout would crown one undisputed champion in one of boxing’s strongest divisions.
The timing still depends on both men handling upcoming business. Benavidez is scheduled to face Gilberto Ramirez on May 2 in Las Vegas for cruiserweight titles, while Bivol is set to defend against Michael Eifert on May 30 in Russia.
Hearn also praised Benavidez’s ambition during the interview, saying the unbeaten champion is chasing legacy fights rather than easy options.
“We need guys like that who want to be great, and that’s what we want.”
If both favorites win their next fights, pressure for Bivol vs. Benavidez will only grow.
The narrative around Bivol has certainly shifted from invincible technician to a man managing a physical decline. The back surgery he underwent in August 2025 to repair a herniated disc is the real red flag here. He admitted it was a decade-old issue that finally became untreatable during training camps, and at 35, those kinds of structural repairs rarely return a fighter to 100% mobility.
When you factor in the physical toll of those 24 rounds with Beterbiev, the hardest puncher in the sport’s history, Bivol has endured more trauma in the last two years than in the previous ten combined. It makes total sense why Benavidez would view him as a prime target.
While Bivol is stuck taking an IBF mandatory against Michael Eifert on May 30 just to keep his belts, Benavidez is actively building momentum in a higher weight class.
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