“We kind of had everything set,” Benavidez said to Ariel Helwani. “Once we get past Zurdo Ramirez, we were going to be able to make that fight happen in the future.”
“I don’t think that fight is completely taken off. But I think it was just put back like one or two years.”
The “duck” narrative is catching fire on social media because of how quickly the mood shifted from “let’s unify” to “maybe in a couple of years” from Benavidez.
The sentiment on social media is pretty ruthless right now. People aren’t buying the “promotional hurdles” excuse because they’ve seen Turki Alalshikh and Dana White make huge things happen when the will is there.
It’s a tough look for someone who calls himself the “Mexican Monster.” When you go from being the guy everyone is avoiding to the guy who is suddenly talking about “one or two year” timelines, the fans are going to jump all over that.
People are dissecting David’s body language in recent interviews, claiming he looks far more comfortable talking about Zurdo Ramirez than the “monster” from Australia.
Some fans feel that after years of Benavidez calling out Canelo and Bivol, he can’t suddenly claim he “needs to get used to the weight” when a dangerous, undefeated champion like Opetaia is ready to go right now.
The fear for Benavidez’s stock is real. Jai Opetaia is a natural 200-pounder with elite southpaw movement and legitimate one-punch power.
Opetaia has a high KO percentage (around 77%) and has shown he can break jaws and end nights early. If Benavidez takes that fight and gets sparked, the “Mexican Monster” aura is gone.
Fans are saying that by pushing it back a year or two, he’s hoping Opetaia might age out or lose a step, which is a bad look for someone who prides himself on being the ultimate boogeyman.
It’s a tough spot for Benavidez. If he beats Zurdo on May 2 but keeps making excuses about Opetaia, that “duck” label is going to stick, and boxing fans can be unforgiving when they feel a legacy is being protected.
Benavidez first has business to handle against Ramirez in a major Cinco de Mayo weekend title fight. If he wins, calls for the Opetaia fight are only likely to grow louder, even if Benavidez now believes it may take time to make.
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