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Unified WBA & WBO Cruiserweight World Champion David
Benavidez Faces WBC Cruiserweight World Champion Michal
Cieslak In Glendale, Arizona Dec. 5
Undefeated Mexican superstar and unified WBA and WBO
Cruiserweight World Champion David “El Monstro” Benavidez
will make his Arizona homecoming in a high-stakes
unification clash against WBC Cruiserweight World Champion
Michal Cieslak on Saturday, December 5 headlining a PBC
Pay-Per-View event available on DAZN through Prime Video
from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The pay-per-view begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features
a co-main event that will see all-action undefeated star
Vergil Ortiz Jr. step into the ring against former unified
world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman in a 12-round
middleweight affair.
The pay-per-view will also see a trio of rising stars enter
the ring in separate bouts as unbeaten phenom Emiliano “El
General” Vargas competes in a 10-round super lightweight
fight, plus rising middleweight star Marco “El Tiburon”
Romero returns to action in an eight-round special feature,
and unbeaten Australian star Nikita Tszyu makes his U.S.
debut in the eight-round super welterweight opening bout.
The event is promoted by Sampson Boxing and TGB Promotions.
Ortiz vs. Thurman is co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.
The Emiliano Vargas fight is co-promoted by Top Rank. The
Nikita Tszyu fight is co-promoted by No Limit Boxing and the
Rose Brothers.
“David Benavidez has been building his own legacy from the
beginning,” said Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing. “From
when he became the youngest super middleweight world
champion ever, to his time as light heavyweight king, and
now as the unified cruiserweight champion. ‘The Mexican
Monster’ David Benavidez hides from no one, and no one can
stop him. David has always had my full support for his
history-making career. This is his time.”
“Unified cruiserweight king David Benavidez is must-see
entertainment every time he steps into the ring, and he’ll
be highly-motivated to be at his best in front of his home
state fans in Arizona as he looks to add another
cruiserweight title to his collection against an experienced
world champion in Michal Cieslak,” said Tom Brown, President
of TGB Promotions. “Combined with a highly-competitive
co-main event between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Keith Thurman,
plus rising stars in Emiliano Vargas, Marco Romero and
Nikita Tszyu, and December 5 is set up to be a can’t-miss
night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona and on
pay-per-view on DAZN through Prime Video.”
“There’s a reason why Vergil Ortiz Jr. is the most avoided
fighter without a belt,” said Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy
Oscar De La Hoya. “As a former world champion, Keith Thurman
is a crafty, experienced fighter who has been in there with
the very best and will give Vergil some good rounds.”
“David Benavidez returning home to Arizona for a world title
unification fight is the kind of moment that makes boxing
special,” said Britton Hardin, Head of Boxing, North America
at DAZN. “With Benavidez chasing another world title against
Michal Cieslak and a blockbuster co-main event featuring
Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Keith Thurman, this card delivers star
power, high stakes and must-see action. We’re proud to
partner with PBC to bring another major pay-per-view event
to fans on DAZN.”
**DAVID BENAVIDEZ VS. MICHAEL CIESLAK**
A three-division world champion, David “El Monstro”
Benavidez will look to capture a third world title at
200-pounds when he takes on the WBC Cruiserweight World
Champion Michael Cieslak in a showdown that will mark
Benavidez’s first fight back in Arizona since a 2022
destruction of David Lemieux.
One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, the
29-year-old Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) made his cruiserweight
debut in style on Cinco de Mayo Weekend, dominating then
champion Gilberto Ramirez on his way to a sixth-round
stoppage. The victory followed up an impressive 2025 that
saw him best rival and then unbeaten David Morrell Jr. by
unanimous decision to add the WBA Light Heavyweight World
Championship to the WBC title he’d earned in 2024 against
former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Prior to that,
Benavidez’s 2023 began with him defeating longtime rival
Caleb Plant via unanimous decision in a March slugfest
before stopping the previously unbeaten two-division
champion Demetrius Andrade in six rounds in November. A
Phoenix-native, Benavidez became the youngest-ever 168-pound
world champion at just 20-years-old when he defeated Ronald
Gavril by split decision for the vacant WBC title in 2017.
When he was 15 years old, Benavidez went from weighing 250
pounds to a boxing prodigy under the watchful eye of his
father and trainer, Jose, Sr., and his brother and veteran
contender Jose Jr., as he famously held his own in sparring
against middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Peter
Quillin as a teenager.
“I’m excited to be fighting in Arizona once again,” said
Benavidez. “It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally
here. I’m gonna give the fans in my home state of Arizona a
great performance on December 5.”
The latest in a long line of Polish cruiserweight world
champions that includes Tomasz Adamek, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
and Krzysztof Glowacki, Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) earned his
belt with a fourth-round stoppage of former champion Jean
Pascal in June 2025. Cieslak traveled to his opponent’s
hometown to capture the interim WBC title, before being
recently elevated, and will now step into the ring against a
hostile crowd again looking to repeat the feat against
Benavidez. A native of Kozienice, Poland, Cieslak enters
this fight on an impressive seven-fight winning streak
dating back to 2022, with all seven of those victories
coming by way of stoppage. A pro since 2013, Cieslak had
previously challenged for the WBC cruiserweight crown twice
before becoming champion. In January 2020 he lost a close
decision to Ilunga Makabu, before fighting for the title a
second time in February 2022 when he came up short against
then unbeaten Lawrence Okolie.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity my whole life,” said
Cieslak. “This is exactly why I’ve been training – to test
myself and compete on the biggest stage against fighters
like Benavidez. I’m confident, but there’s no point in
talking nonsense. The focus has to be on hard work. Those
who know me understand that I’m not going there just to show
up. I will bring all three belts back to Poland after
December 5.”
**VERGIL ORTIZ JR. VS. KEITH THURMAN**
The co-main event will see a high-level crossroads showdown
between the undefeated star Vergil Ortiz Jr. as he battles
the former unified world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman
in a 12-round middleweight bout that presents Ortiz with his
most accomplished foe to date, while Thurman will look to
put himself back in world title contention with a December 5
triumph.
Trained by the renowned Robert Garcia, Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs)
has dominated his competition on his way to becoming one of
the sport’s most highly-acclaimed rising stars. The
28-year-old Ortiz began his career fighting at 140 and 147
pounds, scoring a series of impressive victories over top
contenders including Mauric Hooker, Egidijus Kavaliauskas
and Brad Solomon. The Dallas-native moved up to super
welterweight in 2024 and originally captured his WBC interim
title with a 12-round decision over top contender Serhii
Bohachuk. He followed up that triumph with the two most
impressive victories of his young career, first earning a
unanimous decision over top contender Israil Madrimov,
before most recently blasting out longtime contender
Erickson Lubin in the second round of their November 2025
matchup.
“I am pumped to share the ring with a former world champion
in Keith Thurman, who I highly respect for taking the fight
when everyone else decided to hide behind politics,” said
Ortiz. “Being the co-main for Benavidez is an honor as I
respect him equally as a fighter and a person. It’s gonna be
a great night of boxing and overall I’m just happy to be
active again.”
Clearwater, Florida’s Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs) has assembled
one of the most impressive resumes among the top
welterweights of this generation, having defeated former
champions Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Robert Guerrero in
high-profile clashes, unifying the WBA and WBC titles
against Garcia in a rare unification bout between undefeated
welterweight world champions. Thurman most recently dropped
a March showdown with WBC Super Welterweight World Champion
Sebastian Fundora. Prior to that, his only blemish came in a
2019 Fight of the Year against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao,
with Thurman ending up on the wrong side of a narrow
split-decision. Thurman bounced back against two-division
champion Mario Barrios by winning a unanimous decision in
February 2022. He was set to face Australian superstar Tim
Tszyu in March 2024 before being forced to withdraw due to
injury, eventually returning to the ring in March 2025 with
a third-round stoppage of Brock Jarvis.
“I’m back with a vengeance!” said Thurman. “I’m bringing the
heat in December with an action fight against Vergil Ortiz –
another young lion. Fans should really enjoy this one – you
know the resume. I fight the best and the gladiator in me is
not done yet. Get ready, Christmas is coming early.”
**EMILIANO VARGAS**
The second-generation phenom Vargas (18-0, 15 KOs) has shown
tremendous prowess that has led many to tap him as a future
world champion like his father Fernando Vargas. After a
four-win 2025, the 22-year-old has kept his momentum going
in 2026 with two more stoppage victories. Oxnard,
California’s Vargas now trains in Las Vegas and most
recently delivered a fourth-round destruction of once-beaten
contender Bryce Mills in June. Overall, Vargas has stopped
seven of his last eight opponents, and against increasingly
difficult opposition.
“This year has been a true blessing for me,” said Vargas. “I
started off with great performances in February and June,
and outside the ring, I had some incredible
opportunities—like being part of the Super Bowl halftime
show with Bad Bunny, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch
at a Mexico game during the World Baseball Classic, and
taking my first steps into the world of film. These are
experiences I will never forget, but I am very clear that my
priority and my passion will always be boxing. On December
5th, I return to the ring in in Arizona on a card headlined
by my Mexican brother, David Benavidez. I want to end this
year on a high note by delivering a spectacular performance
for my people and showing why I am ready to take on the
biggest challenges of my career. Everything I’ve experienced
this year motivates me to keep working even harder. ‘El
General’ is coming with everything he’s got—and the best is
yet to come!”
**MARCO ROMERO**
Fresh off a highlight-reel one punch KO of Matias Ferreira
on October 17, Romero (16-0, 14 KOs) will look to keep his
momentum going on December 5. A native of Overland Park,
Kansas, Romero had a stellar amateur career that included
23-national titles, most notably winning the 2024 National
Golden Gloves title where he was named Outstanding Boxer of
the Tournament. The 20-year-old turned pro in 2024 and has
shown a propensity for ending fights early, with 13 of his
14 KO’s coming within three rounds. Trained by top trainer
John Brown, Romero has added five victories against
increasingly stiff competition in 2026. Romero has gained
top-level experience after recently making his second
training visit to Montreal to spar with super middleweight
champions Christian Mbilli and Osleys Iglesias.
“I'm excited to come right back, which shows me how much PBC
believes in me, especially by putting me on another big card
like this,” said Romero. “To put me on another monster card
with ‘The Monster’, David Benavidez, I couldn't be more
grateful. Being on his card because so many Latinos will be
there or watching because of Benavidez, can only help me. A
platform like this is perfect for me."
**NIKITA TSZYU**
The son of former unified champion Kostya and younger
brother of former champion Tim Tszyu, Nikita Tszyu (12-0-1,
10 KOs) will make his U.S. debut looking to continue his
family’s legacy inside the ring. The 28-year-old has faced
impressive opposition ever since his pro debut in 2022,
beating six undefeated fighters in his first eight fights. A
native of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Tszyu has also
beaten previously unbeaten combatants Lulzim Ismaili and
Oscar Diaz, and owns a stoppage victory over Koen Mazoudier.
The 28-year-old most recently went 12 rounds for the first
time, fighting the undefeated Ben Mahoney to a split draw in
August.
"I'm excited to be making my US debut,” said Tszyu. “To be
on a massive David Benavidez card is truly an honor. He's
the most exciting fighter in the world. He comes forward, he
hurts people and he never gives anyone an easy night. That's
the kind of fighting I respect. I also like to fight with
that warrior mentality. Arizona is also where my father had
his last victory, so it holds an important place in my
heart. It will be special to write the next chapter of our
family's story there. I’ve been building for this moment and
am ready for this next step in my career. I can’t wait for
December 5.”
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