David Benavidez to Re-Sign With PBC Under Own Promotional Banner
Boxing’s biggest pending free agent appears ready to bypass the open market.
WBO and WBA unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez plans to launch his own promotional company while remaining under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) umbrella. The move would allow the three-division champion to take greater control of his career without leaving his established promotional network.
Benavidez revealed his plans during an interview with The Last Stand Podcast. His contract with longtime promoter Sampson Lewkowicz is nearing its conclusion, marking a significant turning point in his career.
“Sampson [Lewkowicz] did a wonderful job. He’s one of the greatest promoters of all time, but it’s my time to do my own thing. Like how [Floyd] Mayweather did his own thing. It’s my time to do that,” Benavidez said.
The former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion plans to call his new venture DB Promotions. By establishing his own banner, Benavidez hopes to follow the blueprint of Floyd Mayweather, who built his business around his own promotional brand.
However, Benavidez does not intend to abandon the relationships that helped shape his career.
“It’s PBC. It’s PBC and DAZN working together now, but I work with Luis DeCubas Jr., Al Haymon, TGB Promotions. I want to stay on this side of the street. I’m still PBC all the way,” Benavidez said.
His comments signal a clear preference for continuity rather than a complete promotional reset. With PBC and DAZN working together, he also sees a path to bigger fights without changing sides.
Before Benavidez fully embraces his new promotional venture, he must complete one final commitment.
The Mexican Monster is reportedly slated to return on December 5 for a three-belt cruiserweight unification bout against WBC champion Michael Cieslak. The fight would mark the final appearance under his decade-long contractual relationship with Lewkowicz.
A victory would give Benavidez another opportunity to strengthen his position among boxing’s elite. More importantly, it could provide a fitting conclusion to a partnership that helped establish him as one of the sport’s most dangerous fighters.
Once that obligation ends, Benavidez intends to pursue the biggest names across multiple divisions.
Benavidez has no shortage of ambition for the next phase of his career.
He named Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Artur Beterbiev and Jai Opetaia as potential future opponents. Each matchup would present a different challenge, but Benavidez believes his willingness to face anyone can help make those fights happen.
Usyk and Fury would offer opportunities against two of heavyweight boxing’s biggest names. Meanwhile, Beterbiev would bring an explosive matchup against one of the sport’s most formidable light heavyweights. Opetaia, a leading force at cruiserweight, would offer another compelling test in Benavidez’s current division.
Securing those fights will require cooperation among promoters, broadcasters and other key figures. Still, Benavidez believes his reputation and willingness to take risks can bring the necessary parties together.
“When you’re a fighter that’s willing to fight anybody, the promotional companies come together to make it happen,” Benavidez said.
Benavidez’s decision to launch DB Promotions signals his desire to gain greater control over his career while preserving the relationships he believes can deliver the biggest fights.
Rather than enter a potentially complicated free-agent market, he appears prepared to build his own business within the PBC system. That approach could give him more influence over his future while keeping established connections with Al Haymon, Luis DeCubas Jr. and TGB Promotions.
The immediate focus remains the reported December 5 showdown with Cieslak. Beyond that fight, Benavidez wants the biggest names, the toughest challenges and the freedom to help shape his own path.
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