Jai Opetaia still unknown to many fans, says Benavidez Sr

Jai Opetaia may hold a world title at cruiserweight, but Jose Benavidez Sr says the Australian champion is still unfamiliar to many boxing fans.

Benavidez Sr raised the issue while discussing possible future opponents for his son, David Benavidez. The veteran trainer said Opetaia’s profile has not yet reached the level needed to generate strong interest among many fans, particularly within the Mexican boxing audience that closely follows his son’s career.

“If you ask a Mexican fighter, they don’t know who Opetaia is,” Benavidez Sr said during an interview on Sean Zittel’s channel. “He still needs to develop a little bit more and grow his fan base.”

Opetaia holds the IBF cruiserweight title, but much of his career has taken place outside the United States. Only a handful of his fights have been carried on American streaming platforms, limiting his exposure to U.S. audiences.

Despite Opetaia’s standing in the division, Benavidez Sr suggested that a fight between the two would not necessarily be the matchup most fans want to see right now. From his perspective, the bout against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez carries greater interest because Ramirez is a well-known figure among Mexican fans and has spent years competing on major cards.

“For Mexicans, they know Zurdo Ramirez,” Benavidez Sr said when discussing potential opponents. “He’s been in the game longer and people know who he is.”

David Benavidez is preparing to challenge Ramirez in a cruiserweight fight that his father views as an important opportunity to prove his son can compete successfully above the light-heavyweight division.

While Opetaia could still become a future opponent depending on how the division develops, Benavidez Sr indicated that building a larger fan base remains an important step if the Australian champion hopes to attract the kind of attention that drives major fights in boxing.