David Benavidez will continue to forge his own path.

The Ring has learned that plans are in place for the unbeaten former two-time WBC super middleweight titlist to next face Ukraine’s Oleksandr Gvozdyk, in a fight that would carry the interim WBC light heavyweight title.

Benavidez, ranked No. 1 at 168 by The Ring, would move up in weight as a contingency plan in the event he does not land his dream assignment—a showdown with undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

Very proud to announce a sensational fight which the @WBCBoxing has approved to sanction for the interim Lightheavyweight championship Benavidez vs Gvozdyk . Wish the best of luck for both champions @Benavidez300 vs @AlexandrGvozdyk @TGBpromotions @premierboxing

— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) February 22, 2024

Benavidez-Gvozdyk would likely take place in June as part of the newly formed Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Amazon Prime series. Sanctioning of the fight was confirmed by WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.

“Very proud to announce a sensational fight which the @WBCBoxing [twitter.com] has approved to sanction for the interim light heavyweight championship Benavidez vs Gvozdyk,” Sulaiman stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Wish the best of luck for both champions.”

The concept behind a fight versus Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 knockouts)—a former WBC 175-pound champion—would be for Benavidez to become the mandatory challenger in two divisions. The plan to have an interim title at stake comes as WBC/IBF/WBO light heavyweight king Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is due to next face WBA 175-pound titlist Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) for the undisputed championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, Gvozdyk would move back into the WBC mandatory position at 175 with a win.

Representatives from Benavidez’s camp and PBC did not immediately return messages from The Ring seeking comment or confirmation. However, it was learned that a reported $60-million offer has been made for Alvarez to next face Benavidez, the current interim WBC 168-pound titlist and mandatory challenger to the full version of the belt.

Guadalajara’s Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) has yet to decide—or at least announce—his next opponent for a planned May 4 Pay-Per-View headliner in Las Vegas. The four-division champion and current Ring 168-pound champion previously teased the date and location in an interview with TV Azteca—the Mexico network home for all of his fights—but did not specify the challenger.

Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), 27, is among the few top names not mentioned as potential candidates to land the assignment. Two-division and current WBC middleweight beltholder Jermall Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) and Tijuana’s Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs)—ranked No. 5 at 168 by Ring—remains the two most oft-mentioned fighters to next face Alvarez, as confirmed in a breaking news story by ESPN Knockout’s Salvador ‘Chava’ Rodriguez.

Gvozdyk’s lone career defeat came at the heavy hands of Beterbiev, who knocked him out in the 10^th round of their October 2019 WBC/IBF unification bout in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist retired after the setback but since resurfaced last year and has won three straight.

The last of the batch came in a second-round knockout of Isaac Rodriguez last September 30 on the undercard of the Alvarez-Jermell Charlo Showtime PPV event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was the first on a PBC platform for Gvozdyk, who now fights under that umbrella.

Benavidez previously held the full version of the WBC title from Sept. 2017-Sept. 2018 and again from Sept. 2019-Aug. 2020.

Both reigns ended outside the ring, but he has since established himself as the top super middleweight contender.

Benavidez—who lives and trains in the greater Seattle area—won the interim WBC 168-pound title in a May 2022 third-round knockout of David Lemieux in Glendale, Arizona, just outside his Phoenix childhood hometown.

Two defenses followed, both taking place in 2023 in Las Vegas. Benavidez earned a 12-round, unanimous decision win over former IBF titlist and No. 3 Ring contender Caleb Plant on March 25 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. He then scored a sixth-round knockout of former two-division beltholder Demetrius Andrade on November 25 at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Jake Donovan is the newest member of The Ring family. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox

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