David Benavidez has unfinished business at light heavyweight. Jai Opetaia has stuff he wants to do at cruiserweight, such as unifying the division. But together, Benavidez and Opetaia could make for a great, great fight. And Benavidez has made it clear he wants the fight. “The Mexican Monster” doesn’t have a next opponent yet, but there are talks ongoing for him to fight British warrior Callum Smith, this a fight we would all surely enjoy seeing.
But as for the big, big fights at 175, they are proving elusive to the WBC champ, what with Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev set to face each other in a trilogy fight and then, who knows, perhaps retire. Benavidez, as frustrated as he is hungry for both combat and a desire to prove he is the best, is now looking at a move to the cruiserweight division, this in an effort at achieving both goals.
200-Pound Ambition Meets Cruiserweight Quest
Benavidez has spoken in the past of his desire to move up to 200 pounds to fight Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, who currently holds the WBA and WBO belts at the weight. This is the man IBF cruiserweight champ Jai Opetaia wants next, too. But Ramirez has a mandatory to attend to, against Yuniel Dorticos, this on June 28.
Benavidez suggests he and Opetaia could rumble next.
“Let’s make this fight happen,” Benavidez wrote on his social media account in referring to a showdown with southpaw Opetaia.
Old-School War Brewing at Cruiserweight
The fans would absolutely lap this fight up if it happened, and what a guaranteed war it really would be. A risky fight to be sure, but greatness is achieved by taking risks. Opetaia fears no man, and the same is true of Benavidez. Both men are right about at their peak or close to reaching it, and this fight, something of an old-school match-up, would test both fighters hard.
Benavidez, 30-0(24) hasn’t seen action since his February win over David Morrell, and he is not happy about it. Big for the 175 pound division, Benavidez is not being unrealistic when he says he can fight at cruiserweight. It’s clear to all that Benavidez is doing all he can do to land himself a massive fight, and his attitude should be applauded and admired.
Benavidez deserves the biggest and the best fights, so let’s now see how Opetaia, 28-0(22) reacts to being called out by the warrior from Phoenix.
Is there a real chance we could see Benavidez and Opetaia fight, or is this one merely a pipe dream on the part of “The Mexican Monster?”