GLENDALE — David Benavidez is going home. The unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion will fight in Arizona for the first time since 2022 when he meets WBC titleholder Michal Cieslak on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Desert Diamond Arena, headlining a PBC pay-per-view on DAZN through Prime Video.
The Phoenix native (32-0, 26 KOs) moved up to cruiserweight in May and stopped Gilberto Ramirez in six rounds in his debut. A win over Cieslak would put a third belt around his waist at 200 pounds.
“I’m excited to be fighting in Arizona once again,” Benavidez said. “It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here.”
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs), of Kozienice, Poland, won his title with a fourth-round stoppage of Jean Pascal in June 2025 and arrives on a seven-fight winning streak, all by stoppage. He is not backing down from the moment.
“I will bring all three belts back to Poland after December 5,” Cieslak said.
The co-main event adds another reason to tune in. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) faces former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs) in a 12-round middleweight bout. Ortiz, 28, last blasted out Erickson Lubin in two rounds in November 2025 and gets the most accomplished opponent of his career. Thurman, coming off a loss to Sebastian Fundora in March, is looking to push his way back into title contention.
“I’m back with a vengeance!” Thurman said.
Ortiz thanked Thurman on Instagram for stepping up. He said his team tried to fight everybody and “only one guy was up for it,” adding that the world champions “found a way to not fight.”
“Massive respect to Keith,” Ortiz wrote. “We’re going to shake up Phoenix on December 5th as the co main for Benavidez.”
The undercard features unbeaten Emiliano Vargas (18-0, 15 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout. The 22-year-old, son of former champion Fernando Vargas, has had a busy year outside the ring, taking part in 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 his first steps into film. Marco Romero (16-0, 14 KOs) also returns in an eight-round special feature, and Australia’s Nikita Tszyu (12-0-1, 10 KOs) makes his U.S. debut in the eight-round super welterweight opener.
The pay-per-view starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.
Benavidez, Ortiz, Thurman, Vargas and Romero will appear at a Los Angeles press conference Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Avalon Hollywood at 1 p.m. PT. Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya is also set to attend, and Cieslak will join virtually via Zoom.