Jose Benavidez Sr. Says David Morrell Is Better Than Jai Opetaia

Benavidez Sr. says Morrell is better and questions Opetaia’s skill set

Jose Benavidez Sr. says Jai Opetaia is not on David Morrell’s level. He also predicted David Benavidez would stop Opetaia quickly if they fight.

The comments came after Benavidez’s knockout win over Gilberto Ramirez pushed him deeper into the cruiserweight picture and fueled fresh debate about possible opponents.

When told that Shakur Stevenson had said Morrell was better than Opetaia, Benavidez Sr. immediately agreed.

“Hell no, I don’t think he’s better than David Morrell, not at all,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to Mill City Boxing about Jai Opetaia not being as good as Morrell.

Benavidez Sr. then gave a surprisingly harsh breakdown of Opetaia’s game while still acknowledging that he is a solid fighter overall.

“Don’t get me wrong. I think Jai Opetaia is a good fighter. He doesn’t have a chin. In all his fights, he gets hurt. I don’t think he has a good jab. I don’t think he has good defense. I don’t think he has good body shot. I don’t think he has a good uppercut. He’s just a good fighter.”

The host pushed back by pointing to Opetaia’s size and athleticism, but Benavidez Sr. compared that talk to the warnings people gave before David fought Gilberto Ramirez.

“Everybody said the weight of Zurdo and the power was going to be a big difference,” Benavidez Sr. said.

He finished by predicting a one-sided result if the fight ever happens.

“I see with Jai Opetaia, David will probably stop him in one or two rounds.”

Those comments are going to get attention because Opetaia has become one of the most respected names at cruiserweight, especially among hardcore fans. Team Benavidez clearly sees the division differently. Inside the camp, Morrell still appears to command more respect as a pure talent and threat than Opetaia does right now.

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