Benavidez vs Opetaia: Sparring Partner Backs a Repeat KO

David Benavidez is 32-0 with 26 knockouts. Jai Opetaia is 30-0 with 23. When two undefeated cruiserweights start circling each other in public, people pay attention — and one of the men closest to Benavidez already thinks he knows how it ends.

Daniel Blancas, an unbeaten super-middleweight who spars Benavidez regularly under trainer Jose Benavidez Sr, told Sean Zittel he expects 'The Mexican Monster' to handle Opetaia the same way he handled Gilberto Ramírez in May — a sixth-round finish that Blancas called arguably the best performance of Benavidez's career. That win, in his 200lb debut, landed him the WBO and WBA belts.

Blancas didn't dismiss Opetaia. He described the lineal champion as a beast with genuine, respect-earning power. But his read is simple: the speed and explosiveness that carried Benavidez up from super-middleweight didn't fade at cruiserweight — if anything, he looked stronger. Blancas thinks a fight with Opetaia plays out exactly like the Ramírez night did.

The Road to May 2027

The two men faced off last weekend, right after Opetaia stopped Noel Mikealian in the ninth. Both looked keen to make it official for Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2027. But there's business to settle first.

Benavidez is expected to meet WBC titlist Michal Cieslak on December 12. That bout would unify more of the division and, notably, close out his current contract with Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions. In other words, the timing lines him up perfectly for a spring showdown with Opetaia.

Take It With Salt

Blancas trains in the same gym as the man he's tipping, so nobody should mistake this for a neutral forecast. Still, his point about the Ramírez fight holds weight — Benavidez didn't just win at a new weight, he stopped a former champion inside six. Opetaia is a stylistically different puzzle, and his 30-0 record and lineal crown suggest he won't fold on cue. If this gets made for May, it's one of the best fights the division can offer.