Benavidez-Cieslak Cruiserweight Fight Set for Dec. 5 in Arizona

Officials announced on Thursday that WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez will face WBC champion Michal Cieslak on Dec. 5 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The bout will headline a PBC pay-per-view event on DAZN.

Benavidez enters the bout with a record of 32-0 and 26 knockouts. Cieslak arrives with a record of 28-2 and 22 knockouts.

Benavidez became a three-division world champion in May by defeating Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez via sixth-round TKO to capture the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Cieslak won the WBC interim title with a fourth-round knockout of Jean Pascal in June 2025. He was elevated to full WBC champion after the WBC stripped former titleholder Noel Mikaelian for bypassing a mandatory title defense against Benavidez.

Benavidez is currently ranked No. 4 in pound for pound rankings.

The co-main event of the Dec. 5 card features a 12-round middleweight contest between undefeated Vergil Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) and former champion Keith Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs). Rising junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas is slated for a 10-round fight on the Dec. 5 card, though an opponent has yet to be named.

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