“The one that excites me the most is probably Beterbiev,” Benavidez said on the Ariel Helwani show. “Beterbiev has been the bogeyman for a long time, so for me, as the monster, I have to go in there and take out the bogeyman.”
What makes it look bad is that in the same interview, Benavidez dismissed an excellent, dangerous champion like Jai Opetaia for lack of belts, while at the same time chasing a 41-year-old Artur Beterbiev, who is also currently beltless.
Benavidez said in the interview that Opetaia is “two years away” because he was stripped of his IBF cruiserweight title.
Artur Beterbiev lost his undisputed status and all four major belts to Dmitry Bivol in their February 2025 rematch. By Benavidez’s own “belt logic,” Beterbiev should be off the table, but he still remains the “Monster’s” primary target at light heavyweight.
“Beterbiev is 50 years old. Cokavidez should have fought him instead of fighting Zurdo. This guy is a joke, all he does is talk,” posted a user on X Malevo.
Another user, umar ssenoga, wrote: “Beterbiev is old now. Bivol or Jai Opetaia, these are the fights that make sense.”
It’s hard to argue with the supporters on X when the math doesn’t add up. If he wants the “Monster” tag to mean something, he should probably stop worrying about what sanctioning waistband is at stake and start fighting the guys people are actually afraid of.
If Benavidez is the “Mexican Monster” in his prime, people want to see him hunt the alpha predators, not legends whose clocks are spinning.
