David Benavidez weighs in on potential Jai Opetaia showdown
On May 2, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, David Benavidez defeated Gilberto Ramirez in the headline fight of a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video and DAZN. The event was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Sampson Boxing in association with TGB Promotions. After his impressive win over Ramirez, attention quickly turned to what Benavidez would do next. Some have speculated a move to heavyweight, but speaking to Ariel Helwani, Benavidez weighed in on a potential cruiserweight clash with Jai Opetaia.
David Benavidez becomes the unified cruiserweight world champion
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) adapted quickly to life at cruiserweight, showcasing slick combinations and scintillating speed. Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) tried to get his own work off, but Benavidez was prepared to eat the odd single punch to get off five or six punches of his own. He knocked Ramirez down in the fourth round, following a series of heavy hooks.
Ramirez struggled to gain any kind of foothold in the fight, as Benavidez outworked him, and in the sixth round, El Monstruo landed another hurtful combination, forcing Ramirez to take another knee. This time, Zurdo was unable to beat the count, making Benavidez the new unified WBO/WBA cruiserweight champion, while still being the WBC light heavyweight title holder.
David Benavidez talks potential Jai Opetaia clash
While speaking to Ariel Helwani, David Benavidez was asked if a potential clash with Jai Opetaia was on his radar:
“It’s just going to take some time. We’re going to have to have some patience for that fight because there’s a lot of politics involved.
“The promotional companies have to realize they work for us… It’s about the fighters that have worked our whole lives to get what we want to get, so we deserve these opportunities to fight each other.
“I don’t have any interest in a (Zuffa belt), and I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I don’t have no interest at all.”
Who would you like to see David Benavidez face next?