Eddie Hearn: Benavidez Doesn’t Beat Jai Opetaia

Eddie Hearn isn’t hedging much here, and that alone tells you something. When promoters start picking and choosing which versions of danger they like, it’s rarely random. Hearn’s view is simple enough. David Benavidez at cruiserweight against Jai Opetaia is a bridge too far. Against Gilberto Ramirez, though, he’s far more comfortable.

That contrast matters.

Hearn hasn’t bothered dressing it up with deep technical breakdowns, but the logic isn’t hard to read if you’ve watched enough of these fights play out the wrong way.

Why Hearn Likes Zurdo for Benavidez

Ramirez fights in straight lines. He comes forward, throws volume, commits. That kind of fight feeds Benavidez. David likes rhythm. He likes knowing where the other guy will be after the exchange. Sluggers give him that. He can set traps, let his hands go, and accept a bit of return fire because he trusts his output to overwhelm.

That’s why Hearn sees Zurdo as manageable, even risky-manageable. Two Mexicans. Similar mentality. Plenty of punches. A fight that stays honest.

But honest fights still cut both ways. Ramirez can punch. He’s not some soft touch, and if Benavidez gets careless, he’ll pay for it. We’ve already seen Benavidez staggered and dropped when his volume runs ahead of his defence. David Morrell exposed that gap, twice, in one night.

Why Opetaia Is a Different Problem

Opetaia fights more like Dmitry Bivol than a typical cruiserweight brawler. Long lead hand. In-and-out movement. Shots thrown with intent, then gone. And crucially, real power carried through disciplined positioning. That’s the nightmare for a high-output fighter who’s used to walking opponents down.

Benavidez gets hit. A lot. It’s part of the deal. Against Opetaia, those aren’t glancing shots. They’re heavy punches landing while you’re stepping in. Over time, that changes everything.

That’s why Hearn shuts that door pretty quickly.

“I don’t think he beats Jai Opetaia,” Hearn said, while still keeping the door open for Zurdo. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but an honest one.

The Beterbiev Complication

Hearn also floated Artur Beterbiev as the best fight for Benavidez, which sounds great until you look at the calendar. Beterbiev is 40 now. If the Bivol trilogy drags into 2027, that window might already be gone. Heavy-handed fighters don’t age kindly, and timing matters more than hype ever does.

At 175, Benavidez makes sense. At cruiserweight, things get less forgiving very fast.

Zurdo is dangerous. Opetaia is punishing. That’s the difference Hearn is really talking about, even if he doesn’t spell it out.

One fight lets Benavidez impose himself. The other asks whether he can survive being hit clean and often by a man who won’t stand still.

That’s a question promoters don’t like answering unless they absolutely have to.