David Benavidez has set the conditions for winning the cruiserweight titles: fight him outside of Zuffa or forget about the shot after crashing Gilberto Ramirez in Las Vegas.

“If he wants to do that fight, we can make it happen… We can’t make it so there are no fights there,” Benavidez said of rival Jai Opetai at the post-fight press conference for his devastating sixth-round stoppage.

Benavidez detailed the situation with Opetaia and the current policy of the Zuffa league: “I don’t know why [Opetaia] he went to Zuffa. We could have had this fight right after this one. I don’t know if he was stripped down by the IBF and what he is or isn’t. I’m not even going there – I’m not fighting for the Zuffa title.”

He continued: “But I mean, I don’t know. I think I’ll definitely fight him in the future,” Benavidez said.

“I respect Opetaia; I think he’s a great fighter. He needs to come back here [away from Zuffa] for these fights to take place.”

“I think everyone knows what this is about. There’s just a lot of politics involved, you know?”

Zuffa Fighters face title locks

Zuffa began to acquire a number of former champions and cruiserweight title challengers. Jai Opetaia was the title holder until he entered the format and was stripped of the title for fighting for the Zuffa belt.

Brandon Glanton, Ryan Rozicki and former WBO leader Chris Billam-Smith also joined the fight.

Benavidez warned that the league format could limit opportunities: “Dana White showed he didn’t want to fight PBC. He didn’t.

“I don’t even want to feel – I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but it’s just… that’s what it looks like from the outside.”

Consequences for future matchups

The implications are clear: opportunities for Zuffa fighters to fight for sanctioned titles may be confined, while PBC-sanctioned fights will become the only viable path to defeating Benavidez.

Benavidez’s post-fight remarks draw a clear line: challengers must go beyond Zuffa to earn a legitimate shot at the title, meaning future matchups in the division and the scope of potential championship opportunities will face obstacles or uncertainty.

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“Benavidez is everything he says he is, great respect for him and his ability. I would love to see Bivol get back to 100 percent and fight this fight.

One fan quickly brought up Shakur’s older post, bringing him back into the conversation:

“I said I would do it in my own time and not at any other time! Tell David I will move up when he moves up to his fourth weight class to fight Usyk?”

The “in my time” comment seems tender to fans because it sounds like a double standard. Shakur wants to be considered a “large dog” who fights anyone, but contract requirements suggest he only wants these fights when the other fighter is in physical danger.

Benavidez just proved that you can advance and dominate without the security of a contract. By asking about catchweights and hydration limits against Ryan, Haney and Benn, Shakur makes it basic for people to say he’s more interested in protecting his 0 than checking his size.

“Mexican Monster” Benavidez jumps divisions and chases whoever holds the belts. He doesn’t wait for the perfect moment. That’s why people call him a warrior.

Shakur isn’t built like that. He fights precisely and chooses his moments carefully. Even here, he showed Benavidez respect and then pointed to Dmitry Bivol as the fight he would like to see next.

Stevenson is a four-division champion, which on paper is an incredible feat. However, it is believed that these titles were won thanks to thorough planning and favorable conditions. When he tells fans “on my time,” to many it sounds like he’s saying “on my terms,” ​​which includes riders or safeguards to reduce risk.

Naoya Inoue shared his candid thoughts on Junto Nakatani after 12 rounds of incredible focus and tension with the three-division world champion.

The two fighters faced off in a sold-out Tokyo Dome yesterday, headlining Japan’s most-attended boxing event in history when they collided in front of an estimated 55,000 spectators.

Inoue, a weighty pre-fight favorite, defended his undisputed super bantamweight crown for the seventh time after four victories last year.

Nakatani, meanwhile, followed up a hard-fought unanimous victory over Sebastian Hernandez in December and tried to dethrone “The Monster” in just his second appearance at 122 pounds.

It would have been an astonishing achievement had he achieved it, but the 28-year-old ultimately lost a unanimous decision to the great generation.

After winning the first rounds, Inoue faced a period of adversity as Nakatani came in strong, especially in the 10th frame and looked like he was gaining a lot of momentum.

However, Inoue responded with the qualities of a true champion and managed to consolidate his victory in the last six minutes.

In typical respectful fashion, the 33-year-old praised Nakatani’s mental strength during the post-fight press conference, while predicting that his compatriot would become a four-weight world champion.

“He’s a mentally mighty fighter and I think he’s definitely a fighter who will be a super bantamweight champion.”

🗣️ “I’M RELIEF”😅

Naoya Inoue reacts to defeating Junto Nakatani in the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history at Tokyo Dome!🔥🇯🇵

What do you think?🤔#InoueNakatanipic.twitter.com/joWShulYjv

— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) May 2, 2026

If he decides to stay at 122 pounds, Nakatani may have to wait longer than expected for another world title fight.

That’s because Inoue’s first talks have already begun to defend his belts in January against unified super flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.