“They tell me that the talks to make the light heavyweight division are not going very well. The amount the Kyrgyz fighter is asking for will be too high,” Sabatini said. X.
The timing is interesting as Benavidez has openly talked about wanting Bivol next after his stoppage win over Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on May 2nd. Benavidez sounded confident afterward that the fight could happen quickly, even as he talked 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 pair split their first two fights. Beterbiev has been waiting more than a year for the trilogy.
If the money demands already become an issue, Benavidez could hang on and watch 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 shown little patience lately when champions postpone mandatory fights or move to optional fights instead of unification.
Benavidez has already pushed ideas like a 190-pound catchweight for Bivol. That proposal appeared to be an attempt to retain 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.
Right now, it 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.
