Jai Opetaia had a go at David Benavidez and maybe he is more than correct in it to say the least in boxing news lately.
American David Benavidez has been on the run it looks like from a fight vs Australian Jai Opetaia.
And even against Russian boxers Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev at 175 pounds.
Some things to note on this;
- Opetaia called Benavidez out for “running and hiding” after he confirmed a fight with little-known Noel Mikaelian
- The boxing world wanted Benavidez to face Opetaia, Bivol, or Beterbiev – not a name casual fans barely recognise
- Benavidez was actually ordered to fight Mikaelian by the sanctioning body – making Opetaia’s jab land even harder
- Bivol and Beterbiev are circling a trilogy, leaving Benavidez on the outside looking in for the real super-fights
- Opetaia is the undefeated champion who has been chasing a Benavidez unification for months
- Instead, Benavidez’s team settled on a man who hasn’t fought since December 2025 and is seen as the weaker option
- Mikaelian was only available because he turned down Benavidez for a bigger Zuffa payday – a snub in itself
- Tim Bradley has already said Opetaia would “get his ass whooped” – so why isn’t Benavidez taking that fight?
- Benavidez talks about fighting everyone, but his schedule keeps filling with lower-tier names while the elite move on
- This fight feels like a placeholder – a shocking choice when the division’s biggest prizes are sitting right there
At the end of the day, this looks like David Benavidez is avoiding the big and tough fights.
A strange thing to see.
He just beat Gilberto Ramirez for a cruiserweight title not long ago on Cinco De Mayo.
All is not good in David Benavidez at the moment, clearly, to say the least.
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