The backlash carries extra force because Benavidez previously pushed the Opetaia fight several years down the line. Abraham Gonzalez named December 12 for the Cieślak bout and said discussions continue for Benavidez to meet the winner of Opetaia’s September 12 clash with Noel Mikaelian.
Before stopping Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in May, Benavidez told Ariel Helwani that he and Opetaia had the basic pieces in place for a meeting. He then stated that the fight had been delayed by “one or two years.”
Benavidez gave an even longer timetable in April after Opetaia was stripped of the IBF title:
“That ship has kinda sailed now that Opetaia doesn’t have the [IBF belt], because what are we gonna fight for, the Zuffa belt? I think the thing that happened with Opetaia. It pushed that fight back longer than it has to be. We were probably thinking [it would happen] in a year. Now we’re probably thinking two, three years,” said Benavidez to The Ring.
Those remarks produced the ducking accusations following Benavidez today. Losing the IBF belt outside the ring did not make Opetaia a lesser fighter. Fans still view the Australian southpaw as the most dangerous cruiserweight in boxing.
Benavidez’s interest in alphabet titles also failed to convince his critics. He is willing to pursue Cieślak, who has never won a full world championship, while pushing the marquee matchup years into the distance.
Cieślak is the WBC interim champion and owns 22 knockouts, but the 37-year-old Polish contender came up short in both of his previous world title attempts. Ilunga Makabu defeated him on points in 2020, and Lawrence Okolie also beat him on the scorecards two years later.
Benavidez owns the WBA and WBO belts after his sixth-round stoppage of Ramirez. Defeating Cieślak adds another credible contender to his record without settling the cruiserweight hierarchy.
Opetaia is the man Benavidez must beat to gain full recognition as the division’s premier fighter. Mikaelian can alter that discussion with an upset on September 12, though Opetaia enters as a massive favorite.
The proposed fight with the Opetaia-Mikaelian winner gives Benavidez an opportunity to quiet the criticism. Fans have heard similar promises before, and they will want signed contracts before believing the fight is real.
Cieślak presents a credible title defense, but Opetaia represents true divisional supremacy.
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