David Benavidez broke down David Morrell Jr. with a steady buffet of punches toward a unanimous decision win Saturday night in Las Vegas.
With the victory, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) became the unified interim WBC and WBA "Regular" light heavyweight world champion and the mandatory challenger to the February 22 rematch winner between undisputed 175-pound ruler Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. But he has even more options than that.
Here, DAZN News lists three possible opponents for Benavidez following his 30th pro victory.
The winner of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol 2
After defeating Morrell handily, Benavidez made his next steps clear.
"I just want to be the best of my era," Benavidez told Prime Video . "Whoever they need me to fight next, I want to unify all four titles. So if that's next, that's next."
That'd spell Benavidez clashing with the winner of the upcoming Beterbiev-Bivol rematch for the right to be crowned the undisputed king of light heavyweight.
Benavidez, during an interview with DAZN News late last year , previously asserted the same desire.
Interestingly enough, the undefeated 28-year-old feels like he's gotten the better of Bivol during sparring sessions in the past and would do so again if the two were to fight. He also likes his chances against Beterbiev.
Canelo Alvarez
It's the fight that continues to elude Benavidez, though he has campaigned hard for it.
Though Alvarez has dismissed it on numerous occasions, one can't definitively rule it out, especially if the money offered helps change his mind.
Fans and critics would like nothing more than to see the mega fight come to fruition.
Whether it happens or not, remains to be seen.
Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez
If there's a fight that Benavidez is willing to step outside of light heavyweight and entertain, it would be against unified WBA/WBO cruiserweight world champion Ramirez.
“That is definitely a fight that we’re eyeing and if we could get that fight tomorrow, we’d go and fight that fight tomorrow, too,” Benavidez told DAZN News late last year . "I know ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez real well and I’m actually really proud of him, too, because he’s the unified champion at 200 pounds. He won two titles, he’s accomplished a lot. I’ve known him for a long, long time, so it makes me really proud to be his friend and work with him.”
On paper, the fight has all the ingredients to thrill, with Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) being more than a stern test for "The Mexican Monster."