David Benavidez and trainer will discuss potential Oleksandr Usyk fight
Basking in his unified cruiserweight title victory on Saturday night, David Benavidez advised reporters not to mention the fantasy of following his successful 25-pound jump in weight with another big move to heavyweight.
Less than 48 hours later, however, the suggestion of accepting that lucrative option has been floated to three-division titleholder Benavidez, 32-0 (26 KOs), by the sport’s top power broker, Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh.
The Alalshikh-owned Ring Magazine reported on Monday that he wants to stage a 2027 bout between Phoenix’s Benavidez, 29, and three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, 24-0 (15 KOs).
Usyk, 39, is preparing for a May 23 fight at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt versus kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. That follows a two-time undisputed title run in which Usyk has twice vanquished Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois.
“I woke up and I’m seeing that everywhere. They’re making a big deal of it,” Benavidez’s trainer-father, Jose Benavidez Snr, told Boxing Scene Monday. “Anything’s possible. I’ll sit with David and we’ll discuss it.”
The elder Benavidez said given the uncertain landscape of who to fight next around an ideal mid-September date – with three-belt light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and unbeaten Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia considered the favorite choices – the idea of meeting Usyk following his 40th birthday in January 2027 intrigues.
“Usyk is really good, but with the age and him fighting older fighters, that’s a fight we can make,” Benavidez Snr said. “David thought it would be down the road a way, but now that they mention it, that would be crazy and out of this world.”
The venue and proposed date of the fight have yet to be mentioned, but Benavidez Snr said his Premier Boxing Champions-promoted son had a positive experience fighting for Alalshikh and defeating light heavyweight Anthony Yarde last November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk hasn’t been heavier than 227¼lbs in any of his heavyweight fights, and Benavidez expected to weigh about 210lbs after rehydrating Saturday. He proceeded to be the first opponent to ever stop WBA/WBO cruiserweight titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“We were looking for [a heavyweight fight as many as five years] in the future, but I guess it could come before?” Benavidez Snr said. “[Usyk’s] one of our favorite fighters, it would be an honor.
“I knew by winning Saturday there would be so many new doors open to us. Now it’s a matter of choosing one.”
Oleksandr Usyk vs. David Benavidez - Who wins?
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Re: Oleksandr Usyk vs. David Benavidez - Who wins?
‘The biggest challenge would be Usyk’: There’s one man that could push David Benavidez, says father
Jose Benavidez says a fight between his son and Oleksandr Usyk would be legendary.
Here’s some of what he had to say below.
Benavidez Sr on his son targeting Dmitry Bivol
“It’s a tough fight. Bivol is a great fighter. He beat Zurdo Ramirez, he beat Canelo Alvarez, he beat a lot of good fighters. He’s a dangerous fighter, but David’s crazy. David’s not a human. He don’t want no tune-up, he don’t want easy fights. He wants the big boys, he wants the guys that are going to challenge him and it’ll bring danger. He wants to prove to people he’s the best and he will prove it and look badass with these guys.
“Right now there’s nothing to beat The Mexican Monster. Even me, I’m impressed…Right now, I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t see any danger for David Benavidez at 175 and at cruiserweight.”
On the biggest challenge for Benavidez
“Right now I think the biggest challenge would be Usyk. That’s something like out of this world. But that’s the only guy that I think — that would be f-ckin’ crazy, you know. That would be another big challenge, that’s another topic because he is the pound-for-pound best…I think [David] is really young right now, the weight is not there, he’s going to go down to 175. I mean, we’re not even there, developed at cruiserweight. So we’re going to be playing in those two divisions [175 and 200].
Jose Benavidez says a fight between his son and Oleksandr Usyk would be legendary.
Here’s some of what he had to say below.
Benavidez Sr on his son targeting Dmitry Bivol
“It’s a tough fight. Bivol is a great fighter. He beat Zurdo Ramirez, he beat Canelo Alvarez, he beat a lot of good fighters. He’s a dangerous fighter, but David’s crazy. David’s not a human. He don’t want no tune-up, he don’t want easy fights. He wants the big boys, he wants the guys that are going to challenge him and it’ll bring danger. He wants to prove to people he’s the best and he will prove it and look badass with these guys.
“Right now there’s nothing to beat The Mexican Monster. Even me, I’m impressed…Right now, I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t see any danger for David Benavidez at 175 and at cruiserweight.”
On the biggest challenge for Benavidez
“Right now I think the biggest challenge would be Usyk. That’s something like out of this world. But that’s the only guy that I think — that would be f-ckin’ crazy, you know. That would be another big challenge, that’s another topic because he is the pound-for-pound best…I think [David] is really young right now, the weight is not there, he’s going to go down to 175. I mean, we’re not even there, developed at cruiserweight. So we’re going to be playing in those two divisions [175 and 200].
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Re: Oleksandr Usyk vs. David Benavidez - Who wins?
Usyk will be gone by the time and if ever, Benavidez does think about jumping up.
He could do a Michael Spinks or Michael Moorer and just go straight for it now, but even if he did, he'd be behind a queue of established heavyweights who have been waiting for a title shot.
Not forgetting, cash cow Fury back in the mix and expectant of another shot at Usyk.
By the time that plays out, Usyk will be well into his 40s and probably going or gone.
He could do a Michael Spinks or Michael Moorer and just go straight for it now, but even if he did, he'd be behind a queue of established heavyweights who have been waiting for a title shot.
Not forgetting, cash cow Fury back in the mix and expectant of another shot at Usyk.
By the time that plays out, Usyk will be well into his 40s and probably going or gone.
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Re: Oleksandr Usyk vs. David Benavidez - Who wins?
David Benavidez dismisses moving up to heavyweight anytime soon
David Benavidez didn’t even add enough weight to reach the cruiserweight limit for his division debut Saturday night.
That is among the reasons he dismissed fighting at heavyweight anytime soon after knocking out Gilberto Ramirez in the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena.
Benavidez had expressed interest in competing above 200 pounds, but it isn’t imminent because there are historically significant, lucrative opportunities available at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, the divisions in which he holds titles.
“You guys keep asking me about heavyweight,” Benavidez said during his post-fight press conference. “Stop that. I’m not going up to heavyweight.”
Benavidez, 29, weighed in at a career-high 196.8 pounds Friday for his shot at Ramirez’s WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. Ramirez, 34, came in at 200, the cruiserweight maximum.
The left-handed Ramirez’s height and weight advantages were nullified by Benavidez’s significant speed edge, crisp combination punching and IQ in a fight the unbeaten WBC light heavyweight champ completely controlled. Benavidez’s brutal assaults forced Ramirez to take a knee in the fourth round and again in the sixth, when his right eye was swollen shut.
Becoming the first fighter to knock out Mexico’s Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) still didn’t distort Benavidez’s view of facing even bigger and stronger opponents in the heavyweight division.
“It was hard for me to come up to 200,” he said. “At heavyweight, those guys are super big. But I won’t rule it out – maybe in five years my body grows into heavyweight. … but when my body grows into heavyweight we could definitely go up there in five years. That’s possible.
“But just for right now, I’m more interested [in moving down]. I’m still interested in going back to the light heavyweight division because I wanted to become a reigning, defending champion for years and years. Just like how Sergey Kovalev was champion for I don’t know much title defenses. That’s really what I wanna do.”
The 6-foot-1 Benavidez believes moving up to heavyweight, even just temporarily, would prohibit him from remaining physically able to squeeze back down to light heavyweight, where the two-time WBC super middleweight titleholder wants to challenge unified champ Dmitry Bivol in his next bout.
The fifth-ranked Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) surpassed the inactive Bivol by one spot on The Ring’s newest pound-for-pound list, but it’s much more important for the Phoenix native’s legacy to become undisputed light heavyweight champ.
Russia’s Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) is scheduled to fight for the first time in 15 months May 30, when he’ll make a mandated defense of his IBF belt against German underdog Michael Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs) at UMMC Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
“I think if I go up to heavyweight I could completely forget about light heavyweight,” Benavidez said.
“Right now I’m champion at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, and I feel like I can balance both weight classes. I feel like I can have a defense here at cruiserweight, then go back down and have a defense at light heavyweight. If I go up to heavyweight, then it’s just forget about both weight classes, to be honest with you.”
David Benavidez didn’t even add enough weight to reach the cruiserweight limit for his division debut Saturday night.
That is among the reasons he dismissed fighting at heavyweight anytime soon after knocking out Gilberto Ramirez in the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena.
Benavidez had expressed interest in competing above 200 pounds, but it isn’t imminent because there are historically significant, lucrative opportunities available at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, the divisions in which he holds titles.
“You guys keep asking me about heavyweight,” Benavidez said during his post-fight press conference. “Stop that. I’m not going up to heavyweight.”
Benavidez, 29, weighed in at a career-high 196.8 pounds Friday for his shot at Ramirez’s WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. Ramirez, 34, came in at 200, the cruiserweight maximum.
The left-handed Ramirez’s height and weight advantages were nullified by Benavidez’s significant speed edge, crisp combination punching and IQ in a fight the unbeaten WBC light heavyweight champ completely controlled. Benavidez’s brutal assaults forced Ramirez to take a knee in the fourth round and again in the sixth, when his right eye was swollen shut.
Becoming the first fighter to knock out Mexico’s Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) still didn’t distort Benavidez’s view of facing even bigger and stronger opponents in the heavyweight division.
“It was hard for me to come up to 200,” he said. “At heavyweight, those guys are super big. But I won’t rule it out – maybe in five years my body grows into heavyweight. … but when my body grows into heavyweight we could definitely go up there in five years. That’s possible.
“But just for right now, I’m more interested [in moving down]. I’m still interested in going back to the light heavyweight division because I wanted to become a reigning, defending champion for years and years. Just like how Sergey Kovalev was champion for I don’t know much title defenses. That’s really what I wanna do.”
The 6-foot-1 Benavidez believes moving up to heavyweight, even just temporarily, would prohibit him from remaining physically able to squeeze back down to light heavyweight, where the two-time WBC super middleweight titleholder wants to challenge unified champ Dmitry Bivol in his next bout.
The fifth-ranked Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) surpassed the inactive Bivol by one spot on The Ring’s newest pound-for-pound list, but it’s much more important for the Phoenix native’s legacy to become undisputed light heavyweight champ.
Russia’s Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) is scheduled to fight for the first time in 15 months May 30, when he’ll make a mandated defense of his IBF belt against German underdog Michael Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs) at UMMC Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
“I think if I go up to heavyweight I could completely forget about light heavyweight,” Benavidez said.
“Right now I’m champion at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, and I feel like I can balance both weight classes. I feel like I can have a defense here at cruiserweight, then go back down and have a defense at light heavyweight. If I go up to heavyweight, then it’s just forget about both weight classes, to be honest with you.”