Following his latest victory, David Benavidez is being linked to a host of major names, but his father and trainer has dismissed the chances of his son losing to one of those in-demand contenders, insisting the fight would not last beyond the second round.
‘The Mexican Monster’ became the unified WBO and WBA cruiserweight world champion by dominating and stopping Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on Saturday, in one of the standout performances of the year so far.
Since then, several potential next opponents have been suggested for Benavidez, including a massive showdown with Dmitry Bivol, a move up to heavyweight, and a possible clash with Jai Opetaia – widely regarded as Benavidez’s biggest threat in the cruiserweight division.
However, speaking to Mill City Boxing, Jose Benavidez Sr revealed that he is unimpressed by the Australian’s skills. Opetaia was stripped of his IBF cruiserweight world title for a second time when he signed with Zuffa Boxing earlier this year.
“Don’t get me wrong, Jai Opetaia is a good fighter, but he doesn’t have a chin. In all of his fights, he gets hurt. I don’t think he has a good jab, good defense, good body shot, or a good uppercut; he is just a good fighter,” Benavidez Sr said.
“He is a disciplined fighter—I see the discipline—but I just don’t see the talent.”
Benavidez Sr then offered his prediction for a potential matchup, believing his son would run through Opetaia “in one or two rounds.”
“Everybody thought that Zurdo’s weight and power would make a big difference. Opetaia… I think David would stop him in one or two rounds.”
It remains unclear whether Opetaia’s move to Zuffa will prevent him from facing contenders not signed with Dana White’s promotional outfit, while fan pressure and demand for that bout continue to grow.
