Benavidez Dangles a Cruiserweight Homecoming in Front of Usyk

David Benavidez wants Oleksandr Usyk, and he's got a specific address in mind: the cruiserweight division Usyk abandoned back in 2018. The unbeaten 32-0 (26 KO) champion, who holds the WBO and WBC straps at 200lbs, told the Last Stand Podcast he'd happily share a ring with the Ukrainian — but a return to cruiserweight would turn the fight into something far bigger.

Benavidez's logic is straightforward. Capture the vacant WBC belt and you've suddenly got three titles on the line against a man who was undisputed at the weight. That, in his words, would be one of the biggest fights in cruiserweight history. It's a bold sales pitch aimed squarely at a 39-year-old who hasn't made 200lbs in eight years.

Usyk's Long Road Up

Usyk left cruiserweight as the undisputed king, having outpointed Murat Gassiev by a wide margin and earlier edged Mairis Briedis on a majority decision. From there the southpaw moved to heavyweight, dethroned Anthony Joshua in 2021, won the rematch, and eventually gathered all four belts against Tyson Fury. In June he vacated everything after an 11th-round stoppage of former kickboxer Rico Verhoeven — harder work than expected.

He's not done fighting, though. According to reporting from Mike Coppinger, Usyk has floated both a Fury trilogy and a Benavidez clash as options for whatever time he has left. Benavidez noticed, and pointedly reminded everyone that Usyk gave up all his hardware — which is exactly why he thinks a cruiserweight showdown makes more sense than a heavyweight one.

The Queue Problem

There's a catch, and it's a familiar one in boxing: the dance card is already full. Benavidez has committed to facing WBC titlist Michal Cieslak in December, and he's verbally agreed to meet lineal champion Jai Opetaia — 30-0 (23 KO) — sometime next year. Opetaia alone is a handful, and clearing both before an Usyk bout is a tall order.

So treat this as intent rather than a signed contract. Benavidez is building a legacy at cruiserweight and Usyk's name would be the crown jewel. Whether the two-division great is willing to shed the heavyweight frame he spent five years building is the real question — and the answer decides whether any of this moves past the podcast circuit.