‘Nothing is gonna stand in my way’: David Benavidez targets cruiserweight domination

On December 5, at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, topping a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on DAZN through Prime Video will be David Benavidez vs Michael Cieslak, with Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Keith Thurman in the co-main event. The event is promoted by Sampson Boxing and TGB Promotions. On October 28, fighters from the card appeared at a kick-off press conference, with Cieslak appearing virtually from Poland. Benavidez was respectful as usual at the presser, but he did have a warning for Cieslak and the rest of the cruiserweight division.

David Benavidez and Michael Cieslak set for cruiserweight showdown

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) has looked dominant throughout his career, from super middleweight through to cruiserweight, where he now operates. His best wins came against Anthony Dirrell, Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, and, last time out, his brutal destruction of Gilberto Ramirez to become the WBO champion, adding that belt to the existing WBA title, which he was elevated to after Dmitry Bivol’s decision to vacate. 

Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) last fought on June 28, beating Jean Pascal by fourth-round TKO to win the vacant WBC Interim title, later elevated to the full champion status after the governing body stripped Noel Mikaelian for choosing to face Jai Opetaia instead of Benavidez. The Pole has won seven consecutive fights, all by knockout, since losing by unanimous decision to Lawrence Okolie in 2022.

Benavidez warns cruiserweight division at Cieslak press conference

Appearing at the press conference ahead of his bid to become a three-belt cruiserweight champion, Benavidez was full of confidence:

“I’m finally in the position to make myself the king at this weight class. Nothing is gonna stand in my way. 

“My last fight was probably the best fight I’ve had in my whole career. It was the heaviest I’ve been and the fastest and strongest I’ve felt. Fighting the guys at lower weight classes has helped make this transition to cruiserweight easier. I feel like my combinations and punch output is gonna be too much for anyone in this division. 

“I want to have the best performance of the night in front of my fans, and there’s a lot of competition for that on this card.  

“I can adapt to anything and I’m very accurate with my attack. I’m ready for anything that comes my way,” said Benavidez.

“Cieslak is at this level for a reason. He’s got good combinations, but if he wants to give me a hard time, that’s when ‘El Monstruo’ comes out,” added Benavidez.

The Big Fight Weekend verdict

Looking ahead to David Benavidez vs Michal Cieslak, you have to start with the qualities Benavidez brings to the ring. The speed he has for someone of his size is staggering, and this stood out against Ramirez last time out. The volume he throws punches simply overwhelms most opponents, who look to cover up and survive, as there are simply no gaps to punch back. He also puts his punches together well and wastes very little. 

Cieslak carries plenty of power and looks to counter his opponents. The small windows he will get against Benavidez need to be exploited. He will need to be incredibly accurate and frustrate “El Monstruo.” He doesn’t often get involved in brawls and looks to fight at mid-range; however, Benavidez will look to drag him into a close quarters contest, where he can fire off his brutal combinations. I just don’t see how Cieslak can live with the pressure and power from “El Monstruo,” and we are backing the Arizona native to win by stoppage between rounds 4-6.

David Benavidez vs Michal Cieslak full fight card

• David Benavidez vs Michal Cieslak, 12 rounds, WBO/WBA/WBC cruiserweight unification
• Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs Keith Thurman, 12 rounds, middleweights
• Emiliano Vargas vs Omar Juarez, 10 rounds, super lightweights
• Marco Romero vs Cruse Stewart, 8 rounds, middleweights
• Nikita Tszyu vs Roberto Valenzuela Jr, 8 rounds, super welterweights

Stay with Big Fight Weekend for coverage of David Benavidez vs Michal Cieslak, including results and video highlights, and post-fight analysis.

Featured Image Credit:

Eric Dearborn/DAZN