Months-old fight talks have come back to haunt David Benavidez. What makes the issue that has now snowballed into a minor controversy particularly compelling is that it paints a different picture of Benavidez.

Former undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev has challenged that image Benavidez cultivated as a fighter who has never avoided any challenge, stating the American scrambled toward a much safer route after their preliminary discussions late last year.

“Benavidez is the kind of person who talks much more than he actually does,” he reportedly told Russian outlet Match TV, as quoted by Fight News. “But you have to admit that he’s been managed very intelligently. He’s already a world champion in three weight classes. But his boxing is dirty, and there are definitely questions about some of his victories.”

“He had a fight with Anthony Yarde, and I agreed to fight him after that bout. Apparently, his team didn’t expect me to agree so quickly, so they immediately changed their minds and chose Ramirez instead. That was a year ago. In general, this has become normal in boxing—one day they say they’ll fight, the next day they won’t; choosing opponents—they like this one but not that one. I have a different mentality—that kind of thing is foreign to me.”

That allegation of ducking, if true, appears to have frustrated the Russian-Canadian fighter. His anger stems from the path he carved out for himself dating back to his amateur days, including the wins over Oleksandr Usyk. He carried the same mentality into the professional ranks, consistently facing respected names at 175 pounds. His career reached its peak when he defeated Dmitry Bivol, the man who defeated Canelo Alvarez, becoming the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones Jr.

Part of the frustration also stemmed from the timing. After the loss to Bivol in the rematch, Beterbiev had been patiently waiting for his next fight. While his name was briefly linked to a matchup against unheralded Deon Nicholson, his name continued to surface in discussions surrounding a trilogy fight with Bivol.

However, with Bivol going on medical leave, none of those fights materialized, and Beterbiev continued waiting for the right opponent.

It was around that time David Benavidez entered the title picture at light heavyweight. After making his light heavyweight debut in 2024, he fought David Morrell last February before facing Anthony Yarde. But instead of strengthening his standing by defending his position against a top contender, including a former champion like Beterbiev, he settled for a much safer option: Zurdo Ramirez.

Now finding himself in the unusual position of being accused of avoiding someone for the first time, Benavidez and his team offered a measured response to Beterbiev’s claims.

David Benavidez and team challenge Artur Beterbiev despite fight obstacles

“They’re lying,” Benavidez’s father-manager-trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., told BoxingScene. “We want to fight him. Let’s make that fight happen. Tell the [Beterbiev] manager to contact me, and we will make that fight happen in five minutes. Do you have his manager’s number? Let’s go.”

“Nothing happened, but we still want to fight him,” Benavidez Sr. added. “We’re here to fight anybody. If Beterbiev’s ready, let’s make it happen. Who wants to fight? Let’s see. I think they’re all talk.”

Benavidez’s team appearing open to a fight against Beterbiev is certainly notable. Now a unified cruiserweight champion, Benavidez has expressed willingness to move back down to 175 pounds. Along those lines, he also expressed excitement about a fight against Beterbiev.

“To be honest with you, the one that gets me the most excited is probably Beterbiev because, you know, it’s just two monsters coming at a collision course, and that’s what people want to see at the end of the day…Beterbiev has been the boogeyman for a long long long time. So, for me being the monster, I got to go in there and take the boogeyman out,” he told Ariel Helwani a week before the Zurdo fight.

But making that matchup happen comes with its own complications, particularly when it comes to weight. Because Beterbiev has not really expressed any interest in moving across weight classes.

Another obstacle is that the WBC has now ordered Benavidez to face their cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelyan in a mandatory title defense, making an immediate return to 175 pounds uncertain.

There is also the lingering possibility of a future showdown with Bivol, who returned last week with a unanimous-decision victory over mandatory challenger Michael Eifert.

So where Artur Beterbiev ultimately fits into this mix remains a major question.