David Benavidez
David Benavidez is finally fighting in his own backyard again. On Saturday, December 5, the undefeated “Mexican Monster” steps into the ring at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, to face WBC Cruiserweight Champion Michal Cieslak. With three belts on the line, this unification bout headlines a stacked PBC Pay-Per-View on DAZN via Prime Video.
Tickets go on sale Friday, October 23, at 12 p.m. PT through Ticketmaster.com, and the PPV broadcast kicks off at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. From the opening bout to the main event, this card has no filler.
Chasing a Third Belt at 200 Pounds
At 29, Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) already holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight straps, and now he wants Cieslak’s green-and-gold WBC belt to match. December 5 will be his first fight in his home state since he steamrolled David Lemieux back in 2022.
Moving up to 200 pounds hasn’t slowed the Phoenix native down a bit. During Cinco de Mayo weekend earlier this year, he made his cruiserweight debut by battering former champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez into a sixth-round stoppage. That win came right after he cleared out top names at 168 and 175 pounds, picking up victories over David Morrell Jr., Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Demetrius Andrade, and old rival Caleb Plant.
Fighting in front of an Arizona crowd again clearly means a lot to him. After a four-year wait to return home,Benavidez says he plans to make up for lost time and give local fans a night to remember.
Michal Cieslak Doesn’t Mind Playing the Spoiler
Michal Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) isn’t flying in from Poland just to collect a paycheck. Poland has a long history of producing rugged cruiserweight champions—like Tomasz Adamek and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk—and Cieslak fits right into that mold. He claimed the WBC title in June 2025 by knocking out Jean Pascal in four rounds, extending a seven-fight knockout streak that started back in 2022.
Hostile crowds don’t rattle him, either. He went right into Pascal’s hometown in Canada to take that belt, and he is more than happy to play the villain again in Glendale. For Cieslak, this is the exact fight he has spent his entire career working toward, and he fully intends to take all three belts back to Poland.
Youth vs. Experience: Vergil Ortiz Jr. Meets Keith Thurman
The co-main event pits one of boxing’s heaviest hitters against a battle-tested veteran. Undefeated knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) moves up to middleweight for a 12-round showdown with former unified welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs).
Working alongside trainer Robert Garcia, the 28-year-old Ortiz has been tearing through everyone put in front of him.After grinding out tough decisions against Serhii Bohachuk and Israil Madrimov, he blew through Erickson Lubin in just two rounds back in November 2025. Golden Boy head Oscar De La Hoya recently called Ortiz the most avoided uncrowned fighter in the sport. Ortiz himself gave Thurman plenty of credit for actually signing the contract while other big names hid behind boxing politics.
For Thurman, this fight is a chance to prove he still belongs at the top. The Clearwater, Florida native built his name by beating elite fighters like Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, and Mario Barrios. Even though he dropped a decision to Sebastian Fundora in March, he showed he still carries real pop when he knocked out Brock Jarvis in three rounds last year. Thurman says the gladiator in him has plenty left in the tank—and he promised fans that Christmas is coming early this December.
Three Hungry Prospects Round Out the Undercard
Before the headliners make their ring walks, three young fighters with serious knockout power will look to steal the spotlight:
- Emiliano “El General” Vargas (18-0, 15 KOs): It has been a wild year for the 22-year-old son of boxing legend Fernando Vargas. Between performing with Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show, throwing out a first pitch at the World Baseball Classic, and dipping his toes into acting, his profile has exploded. Still, his focus inside the ropes hasn’t slipped. Riding a streak of seven knockouts in his last eight fights—including a fourth-round demolition of Bryce Mills in June—Vargas returns for a 10-round super lightweight bout.
- Marco “El Tiburon” Romero (16-0, 14 KOs): The 20-year-old middleweight barely took his gloves off after scoring a one-punch knockout on October 17, and he’s already jumping back in for an eight-rounder. Romero doesn’t get paid for overtime; 13 of his 14 stoppages have come inside the first three rounds. He also just wrapped up a tough training camp in Montreal, where he traded leather in sparring with top 168-pounders Christian Mbilli and Osleys Iglesias.
- Nikita Tszyu (12-0-1, 10 KOs): Fighting in an eight-round opener, the 28-year-old Australian brawler makes his long-awaited U.S. debut. As the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu and younger brother of former champ Tim Tszyu, fighting is the family business. Glendale actually holds a special place in Tszyu history—it’s where his father fought and won for the very last time, and Nikita wants to write the next chapter of that legacy in the same state.
Where to Get Tickets and How to Watch
Put together by Sampson Boxing and TGB Promotions—alongside Golden Boy Promotions, Top Rank, No Limit Boxing, and the Rose Brothers—this card brings together promoters from across the sport. If you want to catch the fights live at the Desert Diamond Arena, grab your tickets at Ticketmaster.com. Otherwise, you can stream the whole card live on PBC Pay-Per-View through DAZN on Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on December 5.
