“I thought: ‘How can we make the fight even bigger?’ I thought we might do a catchweight at 190,” Benavidez told the Ariel Helwani Show. “We get the cruiserweight belts involved, light heavyweight belts involved, and the winner takes all.
“Dmitry said he wants to fight for the cruiserweight championship before his career is over. So, maybe we can make a bigger fight like that. I can still get to 175.”
This closing line attracted the most attention. Fans were quick to point out that fighters who are fully comfortable in a division don’t usually start pushing catchweights 15 pounds over the limit. One response that gained traction online came from Pound4Pound, who posted:
“Ahhhh, he can’t make 175 ‘easy’ anymore.
The skepticism is tied to what people have already seen physically from Benavidez over the past few years. He looked enormous during his time at 168 and often entered the ring looking closer in size to a cruiserweight. Even after moving to 175, he still looked significantly bigger than David Morrell, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Anthony Yarde.
The Yarde weigh-in stood out in particular. Benavidez looked tighter and more drained than he had in earlier fights, so the suggestion of 190 pounds immediately changed how fans interpreted his comments.
The controversy is not just about the extra weight. It is also about the relevant belts. Benavidez wants Bivol’s light heavyweight championships on the line, despite envisioning a fight well above the divisional limit. For critics, this weakens the performance because the fight would no longer take place under true light heavyweight conditions.
At 190 pounds, the physical advantages likely shift even more to Benavidez. He will avoid the toughest part of the cut while entering the ring bigger, fresher and stronger. Meanwhile, Bivol built his reputation on discipline, conditioning and technical control at 175.
Therefore, the proposal created immediate suspicion online. Fans don’t hear a fighter looking for a bigger event. Many hear a fighter quietly admit that the scale becomes part of the battle.
