Benavidez On Bivol Sparring – ‘I Hurt Him’

WBC Light Heavyweight Champion David Benavidez says he hurt Dmitry Bivol in sparring.

Benavidez says that he sparred Bivol “a lot” around 2019, when the Mexican Monster was at 168. The WBC had ordered Bivol to face Benavidez at 175 following his undisputed light heavyweight title win over Artur Beterbiev in February. However, Bivol vacated, allowing Benavidez to become the full champion. While Benavidez will face Anthony Yarde in his first title defense in November, Bivol’s decision to avoid Benavidez has created the narrative that he is ducking him. However, Bivol went 12 rounds with Beterbiev who is one of the most dangerous KO artists in boxing. Benavidez, though, says he had Bivol hurt.

“It is the same thing. If you can touch somebody in sparring, you can touch somebody in a fight. I sparred him a lot. I hurt him the last time we sparred. I was 22 years old. He had way more experience than I, but I did with the experience that I had. Now, I’m smarter and I’ve become an all-around better fighter,” Benavidez said 

The Reality

The unwritten rule is that what happens in sparring stays in the gym, largely because sparring is fundamentally different from a sanctioned fight. Fighters use sparring for various, often experimental, purposes, which means a “loss” in the gym is not indicative of an actual performance. Bivol may use sparring to try new things or work on specific defensive drills, sometimes deliberately fighting at a lower intensity or with a specific handicap that he would never employ in a championship fight.

Benavidez is renowned for his overwhelming volume and power at 168 lbs, but many have questioned whether that power translates against true 175 lb fighters. For example, in his fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Benavidez won by decision, and critics suggested he didn’t carry the same one-punch threat. If Benavidez’s power, which relies heavily on accumulation, is less potent at 175 lbs, it makes the claim of “hurting” a fighter with the proven chin and defensive skill of Bivol—who went 12 hard rounds against a monstrous puncher like Artur Beterbiev—less credible.