Why Benavidez won’t fight Jai Opetaia

‘I’m talking from a businessman’s perspective,’ Benavidez to Brian Custer channel. “Zuldo Ramirez is here now. That’s why I’m calling this fight, because there’s more sauce behind this fight.”

This explanation is inconsistent with his other messages. Benavidez has for years marketed himself as a fighter willing to fight anyone, anywhere. In this case, the business case serves as a convenient shield that prevents a lightweight from immediately testing whether he or she actually belongs at 200 pounds.

The Opetaia is not a slow, refined lightweight racer built solely for size. A speedy southpaw with timing, range and real power, he’s a natural in the division. Against Ramirez, Benavidez will be the stronger one with the speed advantage. Against Opetaia, the physical advantage of Benavidez’s rise disappeared. Combat is no longer about pressure and volume, but a test of skill and survival.

Benavidez didn’t stick around to answer the question and made it clear he wanted to leave. After Ramirez, he plans to return to light heavyweight and pursue Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev.

one Grab the belt at 200 and go right back to 175

“I’m not staying at lightweight,” Benavidez said. “I want to go up and win the lightweight title. Then I want to go back and fight Bivol or Beterbiev.”

There is logic to this path. At 175 pounds, Benavidez is a long, physical fighter with the ability to bully his opponents. At lightweight, especially against Opetaia, he will give up that advantage. A return to light heavyweight looks less like chasing unfinished business and more like stepping back into familiar territory.

Benavidez also tied the brief window to legacy talk, openly comparing his campaign to Mayweather and Pacquiao’s late-career pushes. He viewed Ramirez’s fight as a slam dunk moment. Win the unified championship, gain influence, and then tell the champions below that they have to come to him on his terms.

“I’m not going to shy away from anybody,” Benavidez said. “The question is, would I fight him? There’s no doubt about it. I’d fight anybody. But right now, we’re taking the right steps.”

These “appropriate steps” just avoid a heavyweight who would remove the safety net. Calling it a business doesn’t change what it looks like from the outside. Benavidez rented out the lightweight division long enough to collect the hardware, then left before the division’s king demanded his turn.

A May fight with Ramirez still carries real risks. It will show if Benavidez can be effective at 200 pounds without depleting himself. It will also reveal how much of this jump is related to growth and how much is related to control. If Opetaia remains the same and Benavidez grabs the belt and runs back to 175, silence will be more convincing than any business excuse.