Boxing
David Benavidezs Ultimate Five-Fight Fantasy Matchups in Boxing
Jose Benavidez Sr. has mapped out a five-fight tour for David Benavidez that stretches from Michal Cieslak at cruiserweight to Oleksandr Usyk at heavyweight. It sounds spectacular until the opponents, weight changes, and calendar receive closer inspection.
“We’re looking for December to beat the WBC world champion now and go with Opetaia, then come down and fight Beterbiev or Bivol,” Jose Benavidez Sr. told ProBox TV. “After that, we would love to make a fight with Andy Ruiz, and then maybe go with Usyk. We’re just dreaming here, daydreaming. Those are the fights that I think are very possible to make.”
The first mistake is treating Cieslak like a formality. He is a powerful natural cruiserweight who has fought Lawrence Okolie and Ilunga Makabu. David has never absorbed a clean shot from a leading 200-pound puncher, yet his father is already discussing the four fights that follow.
Beating Cieslak would lead to an even more dangerous task against Jai Opetaia, the division’s premier fighter. Opetaia owns the speed, pace, and natural cruiserweight strength to punish David in areas where his usual size advantage would disappear.
Jose describes Opetaia almost like an intermediate stop before David returns to light heavyweight. That badly understates the difficulty of defeating a prime champion who has spent his career carrying cruiserweight power.
The proposed weight changes may be just as dangerous. David would add mass for two cruiserweight fights, remove 25 pounds to face Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivoland then build himself into a heavyweight.
David struggled to remain at 168 for years. Once his body adjusts to cruiserweight, forcing it back to 175 may damage his stamina, legs, and punch resistance. Facing Beterbiev after such a cut would be a particularly punishing choice.
The Ruiz fight makes little sense beyond name recognition. Ruiz is 37, rarely fights, and has not won since September 2022. He may be approaching 40 by the time David completes the cruiserweight and light heavyweight portions of this plan.
One more poor performance or loss against an ordinary heavyweight may send Ruiz into retirement. Beterbiev and Usyk may also be gone before David reaches them.
Five major fights across three divisions would likely consume at least three or four years once negotiations, training camps, and recovery periods are included. Jose’s fantasy tour keeps David’s name attached to famous opponents, but it bears little resemblance to a schedule that can actually be completed.
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