While his professional career is soaring, David Benavidez is reportedly facing a major setback back home that could have serious consequences for his personal life. Coming off the Cinco de Mayo win over Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, which made him a unified cruiserweight champion, Benavidez’s career reached a new milestone, making him the first Mexican boxer to become a three-division title holder in weight classes from super middleweight and above.

While everyone is celebrating the 29-year-old’s accomplishments, who is now reportedly in talks for a major unification with Noel Mikaelian, David Benavidez‘s partner of many years, Karina Silva has decided to call off their wedding. Several outlets, including AthlonSports and AccordingToBoxing, have shared screenshots of an Instagram post attributed to Silva, fueling speculation about the possible reasons behind the decision. The post was deleted hours later.

“With an incredibly heavy heart, I, Karina, have made the painful decision to call off my wedding,” Silva reportedly wrote. “This is not the ending I prayed for. I loved David with my whole heart and truly believed that, through God’s grace, healing and restoration were possible. I never stopped believing in the man I knew he could be, and I spent years trying to build our relationship on faith, forgiveness, and hope.”

“I encouraged him to seek God, to be baptized, to pray, and to put Christ at the center of his life,” she added. “I believed that if God could transform any heart, He could transform his…The decision to cancel our wedding is because of his ongoing personal struggles that have affected our relationship, struggles that many people are already aware of. I have spent years trying to protect him, defend him, and carry burdens that were never mine to carry. I can no longer continue doing that.”

While hinting at possible reasons behind her decision, Silva mentioned that David’s “ongoing personal struggles” had taken a toll on their relationship.

Despite his latest success, Benavidez has indeed faced a troubled past. A year prior to the couple’s relationship, the Mexican fighter tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a prominent ingredient in c*caine. His troubles followed him in 2020. Ahead of his win against Roamer Alexis Angulo, Benavidez was stripped of his WBC super-middleweight belt due to missing weight. Another relatively recent instance featured him giving an inebriated ringside interview for DAZN in 2024, which drew heavy criticism and a public apology from Benavidez.

Yet the unbeaten fighter had seemingly put his mishaps behind him, crediting Silva for his growth. However, if Silva’s statement is to be believed, Benavidez seems to be facing a fresh set of challenges.

The statement conveys deep emotional pain. While speaking about forgiveness and invoking her faith, Silva stressed that truth and boundaries are equally important to her. Consequently, she suggested that the best one can do for someone they care deeply about is not to shield them from the “consequences of their own choices.”

The post concluded by wishing Benavidez the best and expressing hope that he would change for the better, which is a far cry from how their relationship seemed from afar.

Karina Silva and David Benavidez through the years

The reported split comes after years spent building a life together. Karina Silva and David Benavidez supposedly started dating in 2019. Their seven years together resulted in three children. The eldest, Anthony, was born in 2020. Three years later, their daughter Khloe followed. Last year, the couple welcomed their third child, Gabriel David.

While several outlets referred to Silva as Benavidez’s wife, the couple was actually engaged, not yet married.

Speaking about Silva, Benavidez told sauceychinita in July last year, “To be honest with you, my wife makes it really easy for me. My wife takes care of everything at home. I used to go to camp, but it was breaking my heart because I’d have to leave my kids for one or two months, so I don’t do that anymore.”

“That’s why I feel like I’m the most dangerous I am now, because I’m comfortable at home, my wife takes care of the kids, she does everything for me, she meal preps for me—everything I need to be done. She puts me in a position where I can just go to work and work as hard as I can, then come back and see my family. That overall gives me more motivation to keep working,” he added.

Outside her role as the person who took care of the household, Silva enjoyed a successful career as an entrepreneur. A model and social media influencer with an Instagram following exceeding 250k, Silva is also the owner of three businesses, such as the Botanica Beauty studio, Dress In Love, a clothing store, and Nude By Karina, a shapewear line.

Even so, with everything seemingly going well for the couple on both professional and personal fronts, the latest development marks an unexpected turn.

The coming weeks may reveal what actually transpired for Silva to release the statement. If the two have parted ways, questions may arise about whether David Benavidez can overcome this hurdle and avoid public setbacks.