Jai Opetaia set up a long-awaited fight with David Benavidez after his most recent win, and two-time welterweight world champion Shawn Porter has offered his thoughts on the showdown.
Opetaia knocked out then-reigning WBC crusierweight titleholder Noel Mikaelian in the co-main event of last weekend’s Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn bill, but Opetaia did not get his hands on the coveted WBC belt – with it being a non-sanctioned contest.
Instead, Mikaelian was stripped of his status as champion during the aftermath, with interim champion Michal Cieslak being elevated to full world champion and positioned for a three-belt unification clash with WBA & WBO champion Benavidez on December 12 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Whilst Opetaia did not become a three-time world champion with his triumph over Mikaelian, the victory has seen him installed as the mandatory challenger for the victor of Benavidez-Cieslak, with Cinco De Mayo already being mentioned for a possible Benavidez-Opetaia bout.
Speaking on ‘The PorterWay Podcast’, Porter described Benavidez-Opetaia as a 60/40 contest in favour of the champion.
“I think that he [Opetaia] should move past the stuff outside of the ring. Once he moves past, this is still a legitimate [fight], I think it’s a 60/40 now – it is hard for me to let that go – in David Benavidez’s favour. He [Opetaia] was flat last night.
“I think that it’s going to be good and I do think that it is next. I don’t think that David got in the ring for the show, I think that he legitimately wants to fight. I think that the piece that they had int the ring was like ‘hey, let’s make this happen.’”
Recent rumours suggest that Benavidez – or Cieslak – and Opetaia’s meeting could make up part of a mammoth May event, that may also feature a welterweight title unification involving Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez.
