Why Jai Opetaia vs. David Benavidez is a must-see fight

David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia crossed paths ringside at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios fight last month.

After an embrace, Benavidez draped a hand over Opetaia’s shoulder and said, “I have a lot of respect for you” to which the latter shot back “likewise,” as Ring Magazine reported .

Then, Benavidez cut straight to it: “I definitely want to get a fight in with you.” Opetaia nodded his head in agreement, welcoming the proposition.

Both men have business to take care of before this dream fight could materialize as Opetaia and Brandon Glanton compete for the newly created Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title on Sunday night, while Benavidez is moving up to challenge for Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez’ unified WBO/WBA cruiserweight crown on May 2.

That said, it only makes sense for Opetaia to be with Benavidez’s plan for a mega bout. After all, Benavidez circumvented Opetaia’s own plan to clash with Ramirez by getting to ‘Zurdo’ first. Benavidez was able to line up his shot against Ramirez despite Opetaia knocking out Claudio Squeo in June 2025 and calling out the unified cruiserweight world champion .

So, it only makes sense for Opetaia to agree to meet with ‘El Monstro’ in the near future.

What a collision it would be as the clash would pit two undefeated fighters with power in both hands and timing. Benavidez pummels opponents with unrelenting volume, while Opetaia picks his spots with precision and potent shot selection.

To make this happen, both men must be successful in their respective next challenge.

In his Zuffa Boxing debut, Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs) faces a Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs) who has veteran savvy. Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs), the current WBC light heavyweight world champion, is moving up to cruiserweight to take on a larger man in Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) during Cinco de Mayo weekend.

When Benavidez was 16, he sparred with Ramirez , marking a full circle in his boxing career and a new complex puzzle to figure out.

Defeating Ramirez is not a given as ‘Zurdo’ presents a high-volume, thumping puncher whose only loss came against Dmitry Bivol on points. He has never been stopped, though Benavidez has the tools to try.

If both are victorious, a Benavidez vs. Opetaia unification bout for three cruiserweight titles would be a must-see fight in boxing, bringing the winner one championship away from reaching undisputed glory in the division.

The dream bout could be set in the ‘Fight Capital of the World’ in Las Vegas, where Benavidez and Opetaia interacted, marking the latter's first scrap in ‘Sin City.’ Or Benavidez could make the trip to Australia.

If Benavidez wants to continue trying to supplant Canelo Alvarez’s fight dates of May and September, Mexican Independence weekend sounds good for this super bout.

The Benavidez-Opetaia interaction a few weeks ago showed both fighters’ willingness.

Turning that handshake agreement into a signed contract would mark the precipice of an explosive showdown — one that would set boxing ablaze.

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