David Benavidez and Ryan Garcia Appear Set to Stay With PBC and DAZN

Fighters weigh opportunity against a promoter switch

For David Benavidez and Ryan Garcia, the appeal of changing promoters may be weaker than the fights available where they are. Benavidez says he’d like to stay with PBC, while Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya expects Garcia to remain on course for a possible DAZN matchup with Teofimo Lopez Jr. Neither fighter has ruled out other possibilities, but their public comments point toward a practical calculation: the value of a new deal depends on whether it brings opponents they can’t already reach.

Their comments came as speculation swirled about Zuffa Boxing pursuing both fighters. Benavidez is scheduled to headline a Dec. 5 DAZN event at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, against WBC cruiserweight titleholder Michal Cieslak. A win would give Benavidez, 32-0 (26 KOs), a chance to unify three belts; he already holds the WBO and WBA titles. That opportunity gives the event consequences beyond a homecoming: it could strengthen his position in a division where the next step depends on convincing other champions to take the fight.

Benavidez has a route to marquee fights

At a Wednesday news conference in Hollywood, California, Benavidez, 29, said he’d prefer to remain with PBC, where advisor Al Haymon and promoter Sampson Lewkowicz have backed his career. His next bout is a homecoming in Arizona, followed by a target list that includes former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, former undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and two-division undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk. Those names span weight classes and career stages, so the list signals ambition more than a settled schedule.

Opetaia’s deal with Zuffa, coupled with Dana White’s interest in Benavidez, helped fuel talk that Zuffa might make a major offer. Yet Benavidez’s stated priority is the matchups themselves. He said he wants promoters to work together to make the biggest fights possible and pointed to PBC’s past willingness to let him face Anthony Yarde on a Riyadh Season card backed by Turki Alalshikh. That example supports his case that staying put needn’t close off outside opportunities, though future fights will depend on the people and organizations involved agreeing on terms.

“We’re able to move around, and the promotional companies, at the end of the day, they work for us,” Benavidez said. “Whatever we want to do, it’s in their best interest to make it happen for us.”

De La Hoya argued that staying with PBC gives Benavidez access to the opponents he wants, many of whom fight on DAZN. He also dismissed the prospect of Benavidez joining Zuffa, saying the fighter has no interest in competing for what De La Hoya called the “Zuffa unicorn belt.” That framing turns the question toward sporting value: a belt can attract attention, but the opponents and stakes attached to it matter more to a fighter pursuing unification and high-profile challenges.

Garcia’s next move points to DAZN

Garcia’s situation has drawn similar attention. His September knockout of Zuffa fighter Conor Benn added to speculation that White might try to recruit the WBC welterweight champion away from Golden Boy. De La Hoya, however, said he’s working on a February welterweight unification bout between Garcia and WBA titleholder Teofimo Lopez Jr. in Las Vegas. If that matchup comes together, it would give Garcia a direct route to a major fight through the existing Golden Boy and DAZN relationship.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” De La Hoya said, while describing the Lopez fight as a possibility. He questioned what Garcia would gain by signing with Zuffa and said Garcia wants to build a legacy. Lopez has already signed a multibout deal with DAZN, and former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney is also with the platform. Those existing ties make DAZN a plausible venue for fights involving several prominent welterweights, though a shared broadcaster alone can’t guarantee that the bouts get made.

Haney recently rejected Zuffa’s overtures and signed a multibout agreement with DAZN, where he is pursuing a welterweight unification with Liam Paro. A potential Garcia-Haney rematch, possibly for undisputed status, could follow in 2027. The recent departures and refusals have complicated the idea that Zuffa will quickly assemble the sport’s biggest names: Shakur Stevenson left the promotion after it failed to arrange fights with Manny Pacquiao and Haney, and is now in talks with DAZN. The pattern points to a familiar limitation in boxing: signing fighters is only one part of building a compelling lineup; promoters also have to deliver the matchups those fighters say they want.

The real test is whether the fights get made

For Benavidez, the practical test is whether his preferred opponents can be made while he stays with PBC. For Garcia, a Lopez bout would keep his immediate plans tied to Golden Boy and DAZN. Their next fights may clarify where they stand, but for now both appear to have a path to major matchups without switching promoters. That’s more significant than it looks: promotional affiliation matters most when it opens or closes a route to an opponent.

Here's the thing: public interest in a possible Zuffa offer can shape the conversation even when no move has been announced. But the claims that matter are concrete ones: which bout is being pursued, which platform is involved, and whether the parties can reach an agreement. If you're working in this space, watch the negotiations around the fights before treating promoter loyalty as a settled outcome. The test is simple. The fights themselves.