David Benavidez appears to be softening his stance on a potential move up to heavyweight, opening the door to a blockbuster clash with lineal champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“The Mexican Monster” became a three-division world champion in May, dethroning Gilberto Ramirez for the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles while still holding his WBC light-heavyweight belt, and he’s now set to defend cruiserweight gold against Michal Cieslak on December 12.
That fight could leave him holding three major belts at 200 pounds by year’s end, with a showdown against Jai Opetaia potentially waiting in 2027.
That said, Benavidez had previously downplayed the idea of jumping to heavyweight, admitting back in June that he wasn’t ready for that kind of move.
Speaking to The Ring’s Mike Coppinger ringside at Ryan Garcia’s recent knockout win over Conor Benn, Benavidez reaffirmed that his immediate future is at cruiserweight and that he wants to hold that title for a long time. However, he added that he wouldn’t turn down a fight with Usyk if the opportunity actually came together.
I feel great at this weight class. I don’t have to lose weight; I’ve never felt as good as I did in my last fight.
“So I wanna be the reigning [cruiserweight] champion for a long time. But if we get a fight with Usyk, I’m not going to turn it down.
Usyk, for his part, is coming off an 11th-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven and remains the lineal heavyweight champion despite vacating his three belts back in June.
Nothing concrete is in place yet, but Benavidez’s shift in tone suggests the door to a Usyk showdown is open wider than it was just a few months ago.
