Why Benavidez Is Not Fighting Jai Opetaia
“I’m talking about in a businessman standpoint,” Benavidez said to Brian Custer’s channel. “Zurdo Ramirez right now. That’s why I called the fight because there’s more sauce behind this fight.”
That explanation does not sit cleanly with the rest of his messaging. Benavidez has spent years branding himself as a fighter willing to take on anyone, anywhere. In this case, the business argument functions as a convenient shield against the one cruiserweight who would immediately test whether he actually belongs at 200 pounds.
Opetaia is not a slow, grind it out cruiserweight built for size alone. He is a fast southpaw with timing, reach, and real power, and he is a natural fit for the division. Against Ramirez, Benavidez will be the stronger man with speed advantages. Against Opetaia, the physical edge that defined Benavidez’s rise disappears. The fight stops being about pressure and volume and becomes a test of skill and survival.
Instead of staying to answer that question, Benavidez has made it clear he wants out. After Ramirez, he plans to return to light heavyweight to pursue Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev.
A Belt Grab at 200, Then Straight Back to 175
“I’m not going to stay up there at cruiserweight,” Benavidez said. “I want to go up and get the cruiserweight titles. Then I want to go back down and fight Bivol or Beterbiev.”
There is logic to that path. At 175 pounds, Benavidez is a large, physically imposing fighter with room to bully opponents. At cruiserweight, especially against Opetaia, he would be giving up that advantage. The return to light heavyweight looks less like a chase for unfinished business and more like a retreat to familiar ground.
Benavidez has also tied this short window to legacy talk, openly comparing his run to the late career pushes of Mayweather and Pacquiao. He is treating the Ramirez fight as a smash and grab moment. Win unified titles, gain leverage, then tell the champions below that they have to come to him on his terms.
“I’m not ducking nobody,” Benavidez said. “The question is, will I fight him. That’s no question. I’ll fight anybody. But right now, we’re taking the proper steps.”
Those “proper steps” just happen to avoid the one cruiserweight who would remove the safety net. Calling it business does not change what it looks like from the outside. Benavidez is renting the cruiserweight division long enough to collect hardware, then leaving before the division’s king can demand his turn.
The May fight with Ramirez still brings real risk. It will show whether Benavidez can function effectively at 200 pounds without draining himself. It will also reveal how much of this jump is about growth, and how much is about control. If Opetaia remains untouched while Benavidez grabs a belt and runs back to 175, the silence will speak louder than any business excuse.
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