David Benavidez has been here before.

Only this time, a backup plan is in place in the event the industry powerbrokers once again fail to deliver on past promises made.

At stake in this weekend’s showdown with David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) is a shot at the winner of the Feb. 22 Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol Ring/undisputed light heavyweight championship rematch. Benavidez (29-0, 25 KOs) is the interim WBC 175-pound titlist and the official mandatory challenger to the full title held by Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs).

The same status was held at super middleweight since 2022. However, Benavidez quickly came to realize nobody was going to force Ring/unified champ Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) to face him.

In that vein, Benavidez is already prepared to quickly move on—and up. Absent a direct crack at the light heavyweight crown, up next would be a pit stop at cruiserweight and a showdown with unified WBA/WBO titlist Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs).

“What I’ve noticed in this boxing game is there are no guarantees,” Benavidez told The Ring. “You just have to have a plan A and a plan B, C and D if those don’t work out. If for some reason we don’t get the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol, my plan is to go up to cruiserweight and fight Zurdo Ramirez for his belts.

“We talked to Zurdo’s team, we talked to Oscar De La Hoya and they’re on board with that. So, that’s pretty much my plan B right now. Obviously, first thing’s first with David Morrell.”

Benavidez-Morrell tops a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Prime Pay-Per-View event this Saturday from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Benavidez is The Ring’s No. 2-rated light heavyweight contender, while Morrell is No. 8. Beterbiev is The Ring champion and also holds all four major sanctioning body titles.

A fight with Morrell was a risk that Benavidez didn’t have to take, yet someone he went out of his way to ask for by name. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed during the sanctioning body’s 2024 annual convention that the unbeaten Phoenix native—who now lives in the greater Seattle area—was guaranteed to face the Beterbiev-Bivol winner.

Still, Benavidez has never been one to race to the middle. Other options were offered for his next fight, but the still very hungry 28-year-old wanted to be properly motivated heading into what he believes will be a legacy-defining year in his career.

It’s why his team—including renowned promoter Sampson Lewkowicz—took the initiative to even open up talks with Ramirez, The Ring’s No. 1 cruiserweight contender.

There remains some work to solidify that deal. Ramirez is already tied to an ordered mandatory title defense, though there is wiggle room if necessary to take a voluntary fight. The Mexican southpaw is also groomed to face The Ring/IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) down the road, preferably for the undisputed crown.

Still, it just remains a pursuable option for Benavidez down the road. For now, the task at hand for now is to beat Morrell.

The business plan immediately afterward is to ensure that a big fight is already next in line, whether the one they were promised or the one they went out of their way to seek.

“The good thing right now is that we’re in a perfect position,” noted Benavidez. “We can make a lot of fights happen. We’re going to take care of David Morrell and then take it from there.”