Why Benavidez won’t fight Jai Opetaia
“I’m talking from a businessman’s standpoint,” Benavidez told Brian Custer’s channel. “Zurdo Ramirez right now. That’s why I called the fight because there’s more sauce behind this fight.”
This explanation does not fit neatly with the rest of his messages. For years, Benavidez has branded 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 will immediately test whether he really belongs at 200 pounds.
Opetaia is not a slow, grind it out cruiserweight built for size alone. A quick southpaw with timing, range and real power, 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 answering that question, Benavidez made it clear that he wants out. After Ramirez, he plans to return to light heavyweight to follow Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev.
A Grab belt 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 and fight Bivol or Beterbiev.”
There is logic to that path. At 175 pounds, Benavidez is a big, physically imposing fighter with room to bully opponents. At cruiserweight, especially against Opetaia, he would give up that advantage. The return to light heavyweight seems less like a rush to unfinished business and more like a retreat into familiar territory.
Benavidez has also linked this brief window to legacy talk, openly comparing his run to the late career pushes of Mayweather and Pacquiao. He treats the Ramirez fight as a smash and grab moment. Win unified titles, gain leverage, then tell the champions below to come to him on his terms.
“I don’t duck anybody,” Benavidez said. “The question is, will I fight him. That’s no doubt. I’ll fight anybody. But right now we’re taking the right steps.”
Those “proper steps” only happen to avoid the one cruiser weight that would remove the safety net. Calling it business doesn’t change what it looks like from the outside. Benavidez rents the cruiserweight division long enough to collect hardware, then leaves before the division’s king can claim his turn.
The May fight with Ramirez still carries real risk. It will show if 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 as Benavidez grabs a belt and runs back to 175, the silence will speak louder than any business apology.
