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David Benavidez has revealed a three-man shortlist of target opponents and confirmed he is set to sign a new three-fight promotional deal in December once his current contract with PBC and Sampson Lewkowicz expires.
The WBO and WBA light heavyweight champion will enter the ring for the final bout of his current deal on December 12, when he takes on WBC titleholder Michal Cieslak in Phoenix, Arizona.
Benavidez outlined his future plans during an appearance on "The Last Stand" podcast:
"After the Cieslak fight, I'm going to sign a three-fight deal. We're discussing fights with Jai Opetaia and Artur Beterbiev, and then potentially Oleksandr Usyk. The bouts with Opetaia and Beterbiev would take place at light heavyweight, while there are still question marks over whether a matchup with Usyk would happen at light heavyweight or heavyweight."
Rumors across the boxing landscape strongly suggest that Benavidez could be the next major addition to Zuffa Boxing, which represents Opetaia and recently held discussions with Usyk.
Benavidez made his intentions clear regarding these blockbuster clashes:
"Those are three incredible fights that need to happen, and they will happen. I'm not the kind of person who just talks about opponents like that without stepping into the ring with them. I'm going to fight those exact guys because that's what I want."
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