David Benavidez believes Zuffa Boxing is standing in the way of a major cruiserweight fight with Jai Opetaia.
Benavidez recently became a three-weight world champion after stopping Gilberto Ramirez to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. Although he is expected to return to 175lbs, a fight with unbeaten cruiserweight star Opetaia has already become a major talking point.
Opetaia was the IBF cruiserweight champion, but lost the belt after signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing and taking part in an unsanctioned bout against Brandon Glanton.
Benavidez said he wants the fight and sees it as one of the biggest matchups available in the division. “That’s the biggest fight in the world, especially in this weight division,” he said. “I’m not scared of anybody.”
However, he made clear that he does not want to fight for a Zuffa title. “I’m not going to go there and fight for the Zuffa title,” Benavidez said. “He has to come over here to make these fights happen, because we can’t make no fights in Zuffa.”
Benavidez also warned that fighters signing with Zuffa could lose negotiating power if the promotion refuses to work with PBC or DAZN. Still, he said he remains open to making the Opetaia fight if both sides can reach an agreement.
Image Credit: BBC