Shakur Stevenson has offered his prediction for a potential clash between David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia, describing one man as a “beast”.
Benavidez moved up to 200lbs last month, becoming a three-division world champion by dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with an emphatic sixth-round stoppage.
But despite holding the WBO and WBA titles, ‘The Mexican Monster’ has since been named as the WBC’s mandatory challenger, putting him in position to face cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian.
It was previously reported that Mikaelian would take on Opetaia later this year, yet it now seems that Benavidez has torpedoed their negotiations.
The 29-year-old is now reportedly in “advanced” talks to face Mikaelian later this year, potentially leaving Opetaia without an obvious opponent.
The former IBF champion comes off a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Glanton, claiming the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight title in his first fight with Dana White’s promotional outfit.
Even without a traditional world title, Opetaia is still widely considered the top dog at 200lbs, while others might argue that Benavidez has already surpassed him.
If the pair were to ever lock horns, four-division world champion Stevenson has told The Agnew Podcast that he would favour the naturally smaller man.
“I’ve got Benavidez. I think he is a beast – you have to be on an elite level to even be in the ring with him.”
Despite becoming a unified cruiserweight champion, Benavidez is quite clearly a more natural operator at 175lbs, where he still holds the WBC strap.
Opetaia, on the other hand, is a fully-fledged 200-pounder and would certainly boast a significant size advantage against the Mexican-American.
