“Hey, you’re talking about fighting the best, this and that. Don’t talk about it. I’m here. Winner of Zurdo vs. Benavidez, let’s go,” Jai Opetaia told The Ring.
Opetai’s comments come just days before Benavidez fights Ramirez for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles scheduled for May 2. The fight gives Benavidez a chance to secure his first 200-pound belt after moving up from lightweight heavyweight.
The Australian was preparing for a unification opportunity and used the moment to press his case, calling out both fighters rather than focusing on one opponent.
The IBF’s decision to strip Opetaia following his move to Zuffa Boxing has already impacted the perception of this fight. Jose Benavidez Sr. cited the lack of a title and narrow profile as reasons why the fight doesn’t make sense at this point.
Opetaia previously held the IBF cruiserweight title and remains one of the most avoided fighters in the division, with several proposed fights falling through over the past year.
His latest statement puts immediate pressure on the outcome of Saturday’s fight, and a clear next step is already being pushed publicly.
Opetaia’s fight with the Ramirez-Benavidez winner will take the division closer to full unification, depending on how the remaining titles are handled.
For now, our focus is on Saturday’s fight, but Opetaia has made his position clear – he expects him to be next.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Tyson Fury is going back to the playbook behind his most destructive night. He is targeting 280 pounds when he meets Anthony Joshua on December 11 in Cardiff. He wants the crushing bulk that battered Deontay Wilder years ago. Scaling up to that number on the scales is easy. Recreating that vintage menace nearly seven years later is a totally different story.
Fury announced his intentions directly to his fans online. “Big boy 280lbs incoming,” he posted. “Not your average build. However, the love handles are used for energy.” He already promised a blistering pace out of the gate, followed by a quick stoppage.
Back in February 2020, Fury stepped on the scale at 273 pounds before stopping Wilder in round seven. That was Fury at his peak as an aggressive bruiser. He bullied Wilder backward. He draped his weight over the champion, forcing him to haul around all that mass. Wilder could never find the space needed to trigger his lethal right hand.
Every single pound had a purpose back then because Fury used his bulk masterfully. He smothered Wilder immediately after throwing punches. He disrupted every attempt to recover. He kept trapping Wilder in corners where mounting any counter was nearly impossible. It was relentless physical pressure from a guy focused on total control.
Joshua is a distinct challenge, yet the logic makes total sense. Giving Joshua breathing room allows him to set his feet to unleash heavy shots. Chasing him down can trigger panic before his offense even starts. Fury would immediately test Joshua’s nerves under fire.
The big worry is the condition of those 280 pounds. Fury reached 281 pounds for the rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, looking soft around the waist. That outing provided zero evidence that piling on weight makes him more dangerous.
To handle Joshua, Fury needs agile footwork to cut off escape routes. He needs sharp reflexes to slip incoming fire. He needs enough gas in the tank to keep pressing once the initial charge fades. If Joshua survives that opening assault, the extra pounds could become a heavy burden as the rounds accumulate.
Fury picked a blueprint with real history. Replicating the monster who conquered Wilder is the real challenge.
Canelo Alvarez returned to the super-middleweight throne with a decision victory over Christian Mbilli on Saturday, and when summarising the performance, pound-for-pound star Shakur Stevenson made his thoughts on the display extremely clear.
At 36-years-old, off the back of both the longest inactive streak of his career and a defeat last time out, Canelo entered the Riyadh ring with many fight fans doubting whether the career of the Mexican superstar was nearing the end.
However, the four-division world champion instead recaptured the WBC super-middleweight title as he handed Mbilli a first career defeat.
Canelo’s experience, ring IQ and accuracy ultimately proving to be too much for the French-Cameroonian champion as he won a unanimous decision with scores of 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110.
That performance has once again made Alvarez the man to beat in the 168lb scene, with each of his fellow world titleholders at the weight desperate to secure a lucrative unification opportunity on his mooted spring 2027 return.
Speaking shortly after witnessing the win, reigning WBO super-lightweight champion Stevenson took to X to praise the efforts of Canelo both on the night and across his career as a whole, labelling the veteran as both a ‘GOAT’ and a ‘legend’.
Canelo is a 🐐, Respect legend!! @canelo
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) November 1, 2026
“Canelo is a [GOAT]Respect legend!!! @canelo”
As far as what is next for Alvarez, it seems as though he will fight again in in either April or May for the final bout of his four-fight contract with Riyadh Season.
At present, Hamzah Sheeraz would likely be deemed as the frontrunnerif Terence Crawford refuses to comeback for the rematch.
Canelo Alvarez once again reigns as a super-middleweight world champion after defeating Christian Mbilli on Saturday, and two-division world champion Tim Bradley has offered his thoughts on the win.
Ahead of the bout, there were doubts as to whether a 36-year-old Canelo still had the hunger and desire to come out on top in a potential firefight, as Mbilli vowed to take the fight to the Mexican and spring the upset.
However, the intelligence of the four-division world champion shone through on fight night as the veteran claimed a unanimous-decision win with one of his most impressive displays in recent years.
On his YouTube channelBradley suggested that part of Canelo’s success was down to him being able to intimidate Mbilli and throw the French-Cameroonian off his game plan.
“Man that dude p***ed down his leg! He got in the ring with Canelo, he felt that presence of Canelo. You can slow a motherf***a down just with your presence! Just you being right there, like you the boogeyman.
“He has been watching Canelo tear up stuff over the years, Mbilli, and he finally got in the ring with his a** and he was just like ‘oh, yeah this is a different level, these lights is too bright!’.
“Man, he got spooked last night. Damn, Mbilli got spooked last night. All of the muscles that he has got, I am like ‘man come on, at least go for it,’ but he was scared to get countered.
“They came in with an entirely different game plan, he lost his identity last night, that is how bad that s**t was.”
Bradley then went on to declare his belief that Canelo has a lot more to give to the sport, shunning any idea that Alvarez should soon hang up the gloves.
“He has got a lot left in the tank and he showed that last night when he tamed that damn Mbilli, that was supposed to be coming and throwing all of these punches.
“That motherf***a threw all of these punches and he missed all of them damn shots!”
Canelo is understood to have one fight left on his contract with Riyadh Season but, as of right now, he looks unlikely to be able to secure his targeted opponent for that outing.