Benavidez risks his Usyk fight by waiting

David Benavidez could risk his shot at Oleksandr Usyk if he has to face another opponent first.

David Benavidez’s chance at a fight with Oleksandr Usyk is in jeopardy after it appears he’ll have to face at least one more opponent first. A move to heavyweight makes perfect sense for him, since he’s always been open about being ready to scrap his original plans at any time.

David Benavidez is essentially taking this step so he can actually face Oleksandr Usyk. He himself probably knows full well that if he has to fight tough opponents like Jai Opetaia first, those fights wouldn’t be a sure thing either. He certainly knows that a direct matchup against the Ukrainian would be significantly less risky and would be an easy payday. However, if he had to face boxers like Jai Opetaia first, that would no longer be a risk-free path.

“If they want me to go up … I don’t give a f***. I want to fight. I want to fight the best people. And if I got to go up there and fight for the lineal belt with no belts, I’ll do that … I just want to fight the best in the world. I want my respect, and I’m going to get it one way or another”

he told FightHub.

That sounds like he’s ready to sign a contract at any moment, and preferably right away, without even fighting a bout first. But that also shows us that he knows exactly what he’d be risking. If he loses that preliminary bout, his chance at a big payday goes up in smoke. What we have to hope, though, is that David Benavidez doesn’t become dependent on the Ukrainian again. Back then, he was constantly chasing after Saul Alvarez, which looked pretty dismal from the outside. Hopefully, he won’t make the same mistake. What do you think?