David Benavidez has been accused of making “excuses” by taking a “different path”, seemingly distancing himself from the most significant fight at 200lbs.

‘The Mexican Monster’ made his cruiserweight debut earlier this month, becoming a three-division world champion by dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with a sixth-round finish.

But despite claiming Ramirez’s WBO and WBA titles, Benavidez has expressed an interest in moving back down to 175lbs, where he still holds the WBC strap, and facing unified champion Dmitry Bivol.

This would be for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown, which Bivol claimed by edging a majority decision in his rematch with Artur Beterbiev in February 2025.

Before attempting to reclaim his WBC belt, though, Bivol must first defend two of his three major titles against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30.

After that, Benavidez will almost certainly be targeting a clash with Bivol, despite cruiserweight rival Jai Opetaia accusing him of taking a “smarter path”.

Speaking with Ring Magazine, the former IBF champion insisted that he would be ready to face Benavidez, but only if the 29-year-old’s team is willing to show the same enthusiasm.

“That fight’s easy to make on our side. I’ve been ready… I just hear excuses. How bad do you [Benavidez] wanna fight?

“I hear he’s gonna take a different path, and I think he’s gonna to take a smarter path to be honest.”

While still regarded by many as the No.1 cruiserweight, Opetaia no longer has a world title with which to entice Benavidez. Instead, it means his potential showdown with Benavidez would not be a three-belt unification match.

A 29-year-old professional wrestler has created history by signing with WWE. She made her in-ring debut during a recent show.

The name in question is Martinez (aka Nikki Blackheart). She was invited for a tryout at the Performance Center in February and reportedly signed with the Stamford-based promotion in March. However, the global juggernaut officially announced her signing, along with three other stars (Mason Rook, Marcus Brown, and Lacey Simon), only recently.

Martinez competed inside the WWE ring for the very first time after the May 19 edition of NXT went off the air in a dark match against Skylar Raye. In her second match, she wrestled Masyn Holiday at an NXT House Show in Fort Pierce, Florida, on May 22. She secured wins in both the bouts.

Earlier today, Martinez took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a photo of herself standing alongside Shawn Michaels. The former CCW Women’s Champion noted that her heart was overflowing with gratitude as she pointed out that she was the first female Dominican wrestler to sign with the wrestling promotion.

“My heart is overflowing with gratitude. You’re looking the first female Dominican wrestler to sign with the WWE🥹🖤 let’s go !” Martinez wrote.

You can check out her tweet below:

Martinez shared an emotional message before her WWE tryout

Martinez had reportedly been on World Wrestling Entertainment’s radar since WrestleMania 41. She also received a lot of praise from Bayley before her trials in February.

Before her tryout, Martinez shared an emotional message on X. She expressed gratitude for everyone who supported her and claimed that she was ready to earn her place in the company.

“The biggest pinch me moment 🖤 I was officially invited to the @wwe tryout. My heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the moments experienced, all the people that have helped me in my journey, my coach, my loved ones, my classmates, all the promoters that took a chance on me, my lodestone girls, and all my supporters that believed in me from day one. I have so much more to say, but for now all I can say is THANK YOU !! 🖤And I’m ready to earn my place,” Blackheart wrote.

It will be interesting to see when Martinez appears on a televised show.