David Benavidez is set to compete in a three-belt unification clash in December and then, if successful, a blockbuster Cinco De Mayo showdown with Jai Opetaia.
Now, one of ‘El Monstro’s former opponents has laid out his prediction for the scrap with Opetaia.
Benavidez and Opetaia are the two current standouts at cruiserweight, with a fight between the undefeated duo being one of the most in-demand potential matchups in the sport.
While Opetaia has spent his entire career at the weight, Benavidez – after two fights at light-heavy – has reached the 200lbs limit just once, stopping Gilberto Ramirez to win two of the four major titles.
Before the unified WBA and WBO champion Benavidez can focus too much on his Aussie counterpart, he is first poised to collide with newly-elevated WBC cruiserweight world champion Michal Cieslak on Saturday, December 12 in Arizona.
The winner of that affair will then be mandated to fight Opetaia in the bout that follows – and it could even be for the undisputed crown, if Opetaia’s ongoing lawsuit against the IBF is successful.
Speaking with FightHype, Kyrone Davis, who was defeated by ‘The Mexican Monster’ at super-middleweight via seventh-round stoppage in 2021, said that his former opponent will come out on top, with his new size being too much for the two-time IBF champion.
“I think that Benavidez beats him [Opetaia]. Benavidez looks like he is getting bigger, it’s almost like he is prepping to go to heavyweight.”
“[When they faced off in the ring] he made him [Opetaia] look small.”
Benavidez-Cieslak is expected to be formally announced in the coming weeks, with recent rumours suggesting that Denzel Bentley could defend his WBO middleweight world title against Yoenli Hernandez on the undercard, should Bentley go ahead with the mandated fight.
Opetaia will undoubtedly be in attendance and facing off with the winner post-fight.
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