Sampson Lewkowicz on Bivol-Benavidez: Bivol Won’t Take The Fight
- Matthew Brown
- Jul 23, 2025
- 2 min read
07/23/2025
For the millions of boxing fans eager to see a colossal light heavyweight showdown between David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol, don’t hold your breath.
In a candid interview with Brunch Boxing, Benavidez’s longtime promoter Sampson Lewkowicz cast serious doubt on the likelihood of the fight ever happening. “I don’t believe that Bivol will take the fight,” said Lewkowicz. “It’ll be another Canelo [Alvarez].”
Lewkowicz’s reference to Alvarez is a familiar one. Benavidez waged a relentless campaign to fight the undisputed super middleweight champion, publicly calling him out in interviews and across social media platforms. But despite fan demand and Benavidez’s undefeated record, Alvarez steadfastly refused to make the lucrative fight, much to the frustration of boxing insiders and supporters alike.
Following the Alvarez stalemate, Benavidez turned his attention to the 175-pound elite—specifically the winner of the February 22 rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. When Bivol defeated Beterbiev to become the king of the light heavyweight division, the WBC swiftly ordered a mandatory title bout between Bivol and Benavidez, with a purse bid scheduled for April 8.
But just one day before the purse bid, the entire narrative shifted.
Instead of moving forward with the fight, Bivol vacated his WBC title—prompting the organization to elevate Benavidez to full WBC Light Heavyweight Champion. At the time, Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn claimed the fighter was contractually bound to Turki Alalshikh and his Riyadh Season promotion, and therefore unable to participate in the WBC-mandated bout.
That, however, appears to have been misleading.
Recent developments have confirmed that a proposed third fight between Bivol and Beterbiev—the trilogy decider—will not be held under the Turki Alalshikh banner, throwing into question the authenticity of Hearn’s earlier claims. For Lewkowicz and Team Benavidez, the move is all too familiar.
“Bivol doesn’t want the fight,” Lewkowicz said bluntly.
Still, Benavidez isn’t backing down.
According to sources, the 28-year-old two-division champion will now focus his efforts on forcing the WBA to mandate a bout between him and the winner of the anticipated Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy—should the victor refuse to voluntarily face him immediately after. Benavidez currently holds the WBA “regular” title, while Bivol holds the “super” designation. Benavidez returns to the ring to defend his titles against Anthony Yarde on November 22, ironically on a Turki Alalshikh card in Riyadh.
David Benavidez remains determined to become undisputed at 175, with or without Bivol’s cooperation. The question now isn’t whether Benavidez wants the smoke—but whether Bivol will ever step into the fire.
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