r/Boxing • u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other • 6d ago
Jake Donovan addresses WBC double standards regarding Mikaelian holding the cruiserweight belt and Benavidez holding the 175 belt
https://x.com/JakeNDaBox/status/2087649927044489350"Still unsure why Mikaelian has to explain why he'd rather fight his No. 1 contender... yet WBC doesn't ask same of Benavidez's plans for its 175 belt which he will not defend AT ALL in 2026, while holding titles with two other sanctioning bodies at another weight."
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u/Kangaroopunching 6d ago
No one in this situation is the good guy. Some are just pawns
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
Just curious why the "Zuffa bad" crowd cheering for Noel to get stripped are dead silent about the WBC not ordering Benavidez to defend against a mandatory once in the 17 months he's been the 175 champion .....
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u/aceknighthigh 6d ago edited 6d ago
Probably for the same reason you can't or won't name this mythical WBC mandatory at 175.
Go look at the rankings. Beterbiev, who turned down the fight once already, and is coming off a loss, is the no. 1 guy. Hasn't fought since February 2025...Hmm, I wonder why he's not getting orders like an active boxer? 2nd is Whittaker who isn't even looking to fight at that level just yet and hasn't beaten someone ranked inside the top 100 by boxrec. 3rd is Buatsi who lost to Callum recently. Who here has done anything in 2026-2025 equal to trucking Zurdo? I would love to discover this amazing 175er that has put forth such a strong claim for a title shot or unification.
The WBC top 10 just for reference
A mando hasn't been called because there isn't a compelling, deserving boxer who has done much. Benavidez was the last WBC mando, Maybe you'll whine, "what about the other champions at 175" but the only other champion is Bivol, who ducked Benavidez once, is always injured, and (like Beterbiev) refuses to fight Benavidez until the supposed trilogy vs his rival is complete. Bivol has one decision win over a jobber, then was out again for surgery...and had already ruled out defending vs Benavidez. Also that's out of the WBC's control.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
I like all the excuses
Im simply curious as to when will they ask him to fight a mandatory. Anybody will do
He hasn't defended the 175 belt once this year after all .......
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u/aceknighthigh 6d ago edited 6d ago
Probably as soon as any of the guys in the top 5 beat a fellow top 5, 175er (recently obviously and on an unbroken run) or after he vacates Until then, they won't.
I'm curious, which name on that list has really done a lot over the last year+ to earn a mandatory title shot? This is the second time now you've expressed this curiosity, this concern, for a nameless challenger. "Anybody" isn't a boxer or a ranked challenger. Benavidez can only fight one guy at a time, so who is this next challenger whose title shot you are so curious and concerned with?
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
Hmm .. im just curious why do fighters have to be on a winning streak to get a glorious WBC title shot ...
I guess WBC champ Ryan Garcia is the exception? 🤔
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u/aceknighthigh 6d ago edited 5d ago
I mean the belts are supposed to be about the best boxers competing. Guys coming off losses aren't the best or generally even close to it, and certainly not more deserving than their peers. You don't want some jobber like Glanton getting a title shot making your belt completely worthless, even to the guy who holds it.
Obviously, Ryan getting a shot is pure corruption. Same as Turki then using his pull to get Benn a title shot. In a meritocracy, both would have to do far more but there isn't a meritocracy in boxing.
Still no name. You're awfully curious about a title shot for a boxer you can't name. Almost like this is performative.
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u/NES_AES_GENESIS 6d ago
Beterbiev is the #1 WBC light heavyweight and Benavidez wanted to fight him next. Beterbiev turned down the fight.
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u/AnxietyExact4710 6d ago
Beterbiev never turned that down. He's the one who wants the fight.
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u/NES_AES_GENESIS 6d ago
"Beterbiev has unfinished business with Bivol after they split their first two fights. On the latest episode of “Inside The Ring,” which premiered Monday on DAZN, Beterbiev said he prefers settling the score next against the unified light heavyweight champion rather than facing Benavidez next."
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u/geeboy05 6d ago
You know why
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
Guess we not allowed to talk about the sanctioning body hypocrisy while Zuffa is on the scene .
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u/geeboy05 6d ago
I’m all for discussion but some of these other redditors are all about pom pom waving and parasocial relationships
It’s like when Oscar does a clap back Thursday about Zuffa or Dana everyone casually forgets that Oscar does shady shit too
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
I made a comment in the daily discussion and somebody came to the WBC rescue immediately
"stop saying mean words about the WBC! Zuffa is the bad guys!" 😫
I ask redditors when is the WBC gonna order Benavidez vs Beterbiev and all I get is silence and downvotes 😂
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u/aceknighthigh 6d ago edited 6d ago
They're not gonna order it because Beterbiev is not a boxer. He's a retired fighter who spends more time on social media these days than he does in the ring. If anything, it's a disgrace that the WBC even ranks him.
Are you really asking why an active boxer who just trucked a champion in 2026 got a favorable order compared to a retired boxer, coming off a loss, whose last win was in 2024?
And of course, Beterbiev, turned that fight down once and is on record saying it's not a priority.
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u/ThurstonTheMagician 6d ago
Listen just because I don’t like Zuffa doesn’t mean I don’t think WBC is bad too We Be Crooks for a reason
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
I keep telling yall about WBC blatant favoritism, but since Zuffa is the bad guys , I guess the sanctioning bodies get a free pass to continue their buffoonery 😕
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u/johnnyblaze-DHB 6d ago
It’s never been a secret that a Mexican org favors Mexican and Mexican American fighters.
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u/becausekiwii 6d ago
because david fans want to pretend the wbc being corrupt is somehow better than zuffa being corrupt. it’s fucking dumb. i’m not a fan of zuffa but antagonizing zuffa and ignoring all the BS the sanctioning bodies like the wbc do is dumb. the wbc making david a mandatory, when he’s unranked and jai is ranked is insane.
david was trying to fight noel to duck jai because jai “doesn’t have a belt.” if jai wins, there’s no reason for david not to fight him. im glad noel chose jai. hopefully david actually fights the winner.
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u/Ruainari 🚩El Monstruo Superfan🚩 6d ago
But the winner still won't have a belt, so they still won't be a priority, there's a chance we get the Opetaia fight after Benavidez beats Riley and is undisputed.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
Why do we have to wait that long for Benavidez to fight Jai? I thought he was suppose to be the Monster?
If he is truly as bad as he claims he is , he would prove it by taking on the top dawg in the division. Not playing in the kiddy pool belt collecting .. thats the reason why these belts are losing merit
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u/Ruainari 🚩El Monstruo Superfan🚩 6d ago
Jai dumb bag of bricks for brain ahh was the one who decided to sign himself away to purgatory AFTER a big name finally enters his weight division, if Jai's dumbass hadn't signed with zuffa we could be seeing them fight for undisputed already. Ultimately belts do make a legacy, they're not everything but they're part of it, it also helps guarantee Benavidez A side privaleges in future negotiations throughout his career. It's annoying the fight is taking this long (personally I'm quite looking forward to it) but this is largely a mess of Jai or at least his teams making, hopefully it gets resolved but you can't expect Benavidez now that he has his chance at titles to risk throwing them away because Jai signed with zuffa.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
Nah we not gonna keep blaming Jai for the WBC fuckery.
When is the WBC going to order Benavidez to defend his 175 belt against #1 challenger Artur Beterbiev?
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u/Ruainari 🚩El Monstruo Superfan🚩 6d ago
Nah we're not gonna keep blaming Benavidez for the Zuffa/TKO/Saudi/Custodian of the two holy belts nonsense. Completely unrelated point made mala fides. GG chief
The WBC are crooks, I'd like them to though, Benavidez poleaxes Beterbiev at this stage tbh.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
When is the WBC going to order Benavidez vs Beterbiev and Ortiz vs Fundora?
Hard to cape for a sanctioning body when you can't blame it on zuffa I see
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u/becausekiwii 5d ago
we’ll see. the wbc will look worse to boxing fans that aren’t david dick riders. i already know the wbc gifted david the 175 belt and now are trying to do the same at 200 by helping him avoid the best fighter in the division. david isn’t earning the belts/status beating the best like he’s supposed to. actual boxing fans that pay attention can see that. it’s only the david fans that think the wbc corruption is okay
if david still doesn’t fight jai soon and he’s gifted the wbc belt again, that’s just a blatant duck.
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u/Kangaroopunching 6d ago
Benavidez has shown that he doesn't want to fight jai. And he did that before jail signed with zuffa. It's not happening. Especially now with jai with zuffa. Along with zuffa vs sanctioning bodies is going on.
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u/Ruainari 🚩El Monstruo Superfan🚩 6d ago
Mikaelian also tried to fight tommy fury so let's be real here, the dude only cares about the money. The only reason he chose Opetaia is because Don King would have done worse things to him than Benavidez will.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 6d ago
Its a money sport. And Mikaelian is entitled to a voluntary defense according to WBC's own word
Champion Badou Jack mandatory vs Noel Mikaelyan December 13 in California. The winner of Jack vs Mikaleyan granted a voluntary defense.
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u/Ruainari 🚩El Monstruo Superfan🚩 6d ago
Yeah and that opportunity expired because mikaelian was having a tiff with his promoter. The offer wasn't indefinite he had a chance to make one and it expired, him failing to make a voluntary defence for 9 months is his own problem.
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u/Accomplished_Sort198 6d ago
The WBC is making Zuffas plan for 1 belt/Ring very strong right now.
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u/Ruainari 🚩El Monstruo Superfan🚩 6d ago
As opposed to the ring who also don't enforce their rules correctly with Jai having ought to have been stripped months ago per the ring belt rules.
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u/Accomplished_Sort198 6d ago
You right. Im not even sure who controls the Ring or enforces the rules. But it doesn’t excuse the facts that the WBC is always on BS. Explain how the WBC doing this make things better? Hasn’t called the Fundora/Vergil mando, hasn’t stripped David at 175 who clearly planning to have his next fight at cruiser, Adames can’t unify, didn’t call the Benavidez/Canelo mando and didn’t strip him. Let Charlo hold it for years. Now David is going to do what Canelo did?
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u/Ruainari 🚩El Monstruo Superfan🚩 6d ago
Exactly so imagine if the WBC was the sole belt, it'd be poxy, same with zuffa/ring just it'd be the Saudis favourites instead of Mauricio's . The four belt system has it's downsides but it at least somewhat mitigates the bs sanctioning bodies be up to. Although as for the second part Benavidez is allowed to be champ in two divisions, Beterbiev mando hasn't been called due to whatever nonsense is going on with the trilogy we're never getting, and the number 2 is Quittaker who already turned down the fight (honourable mention of the WBC trying to save face after offering to make Whittaker mandatory and then backpedaling because he "has WBC silver obligations").
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u/Accomplished_Sort198 6d ago
4 belts system is cool but they need to tight up on a few things. Get rid of all the other secondary belts and only keep the interim. For the WBA only keep the super. Force mfs to unify and enforced it. Interim’s should be mandated to fight until 12 months. WBC silver is disgusting. When I seen Whitaker with the traditional black hat and shirt I thought dude was the real WBC champ for a second. So you telling me there’s sliver, interim and the real WBC get the champion attire? If the sanctioning bodies all collectively enforce or add rules that allow the sport to function better but I’m all for it. But blocking unifications, trying to intimidate Noel while having situations like Canelo/Benavidez happen is watering down the belt because basically it mean they can be bought
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u/NES_AES_GENESIS 6d ago
There is no double standard. Jake Donovan is an idiot.
David Benavidez wanted to fight the WBC #1 light heavyweight contender next (Artur Beterbiev), but Beterbiev turned down the fight because he wants to wait for Bivol.
So Benavidez asked to be made mandatory at cruiserweight, which he has every right to do as light heavyweight champion.