David Benavidez may have bigger options in front of him than chasing Dmitry Bivol or Jai Opetaia, and Roy Jones Jr. think he should take advantage of it while his stock is still high.
Benavidez (32-0, 29 KOs) stopped Gilberto Ramirez earlier this month to capture the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, adding them to the WBC light heavyweight belt he still holds at 175 pounds. The win immediately opened the door for several directions for his next fight, including a move back for an undisputed clash with unified light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol or staying at cruiserweight for fights against Jai Opetaia and others.
Roy Jones Jr. believe there is a smarter move available.
“It’s not smart for David Benavidez to give Jai Opetaia a chance to his name now because he’s hot right now.
“Go up and fight Usyk while you’re hot and it makes sense. You can always come back and fight Opetaia if you want.
“If you (lose) to Usyk, the Opetaia fight is still there. If you lose to Opetaia, the Usyk fight is gone, so you have to be smart about this. Go get Usyk while the iron is hot,” Jones told ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT.
Jones pointed to timing more than weight classes. Benavidez became one of boxing’s hottest names after dominating Ramirez, and Oleksandr Usyk’s next step is still unclear after Saturday’s fight against Rico Verhoeven in Egypt.
If Usyk defeats Verhoeven as expected, attention will quickly shift to what kind of event Turki Alalshikh wants next. Benavidez moving straight up to heavyweight for an Usyk fight would fit the same crossover superfight direction Saudi Arabia has been pushing in the past two years.
Benavidez has repeatedly said he still wants Bivol, but that fight remains tied to sanction body politics and Bivol’s May 30 defense against Michael Eifert. Opetaia is another option at cruiserweight, though Jones has made it clear he sees more danger than reward in that route.
The heavyweight path suddenly seems less unrealistic after Benavidez came into the Ramirez fight weighing around 200 pounds and handling the bigger man physically without much difficulty.
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Last updated on 2026/05/22 at 16:27
