David Benavidez vs Michal Cieslak Cruiserweight Unification Set for December 5 on DAZN PPV
Benavidez puts his WBA and WBO belts on the line against Cieslak's WBC title on DAZN pay-per-view.
David Benavidez and Michal Cieslak will unify three cruiserweight belts on December 5 on DAZN pay-per-view. Benavidez brings his WBA and WBO titles, while Cieslak holds the WBC belt he received after being elevated from interim status. The venue has not been announced, per Bad Left Hook.
The fight was originally expected a week later, but the date was moved up to avoid a collision with the Joshua vs. Fury card on December 12. Both BoxRec and Piotr Jagiello of TVP Sport confirmed the December 5 date after the fighters made social media announcements, per Bad Left Hook.
Benavidez has been one of the most dominant fighters in the cruiserweight division since moving up from super middleweight, but his profile with casual fans remains limited. Boxing News 24 noted that DAZN has not announced the PPV price yet, and questioned whether the matchup would generate enough interest to justify the premium format.
Cieslak was competitive but came up short in a December 2024 split decision loss to Richardson Hitchins when he was still at 140 pounds. The WBC belt gives him legitimacy on paper, but the Boxing News 24 article called him a "paper champion" and described the fight as lopsided.
A Benavidez win would put him in position for a major clash with Jai Opetaia, who holds the remaining cruiserweight hardware. That is the fight the division needs.
Look, I am not going to pretend this is a 50-50 fight. Cieslak has a belt because the WBC handed it to him, not because he went out and took it from somebody. Benavidez should handle this.
The real question is whether DAZN can sell this on pay-per-view. Benavidez does not promote himself. He shows up, fights, disappears until the next camp. That works when you are on a stacked card, but as a PPV headliner against a guy most American fans have never heard of, it is a tough sell. The undercard better be loaded.
What matters here is what comes next. Benavidez needs Jai Opetaia. That is the undisputed fight, and if he handles Cieslak clean, there is no excuse not to make it in the first half of 2027. The cruiserweight division is actually interesting for the first time in years. Do not waste the moment.
