David Benavidez has been accused of making “excuses” by taking a “different path”, seemingly distancing himself from the most significant fight at 200lbs.
‘The Mexican Monster’ made his cruiserweight debut earlier this month, becoming a three-division world champion by dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with a sixth-round finish.
But despite claiming Ramirez’s WBO and WBA titles, Benavidez has expressed an interest in moving back down to 175lbs, where he still holds the WBC strap, and facing unified champion Dmitry Bivol.
This would be for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown, which Bivol claimed by edging a majority decision in his rematch with Artur Beterbiev in February 2025.
Before attempting to reclaim his WBC belt, though, Bivol must first defend two of his three major titles against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30.
After that, Benavidez will almost certainly be targeting a clash with Bivol, despite cruiserweight rival Jai Opetaia accusing him of taking a “smarter path”.
Speaking with Ring Magazine, the former IBF champion insisted that he would be ready to face Benavidez, but only if the 29-year-old’s team is willing to show the same enthusiasm.
“That fight’s easy to make on our side. I’ve been ready… I just hear excuses. How bad do you [Benavidez] wanna fight?
“I hear he’s gonna take a different path, and I think he’s gonna to take a smarter path to be honest.”
While still regarded by many as the No.1 cruiserweight, Opetaia no longer has a world title with which to entice Benavidez. Instead, it means his potential showdown with Benavidez would not be a three-belt unification match.
