David Benavidez is a true superstar talent and he seems willing to do whatever he can to push himself to the top of the pound-for-pound list. The former 168-pound and 175-pound champion is staying at cruiserweight to face Michal Cieslak in his next fight. Why? Benavidez wants a fight with the current cruiserweight kingpin, Jai Opetaia , and his commitment to fighting at 200 pounds means he was forced to walk away from the light heavyweight division. While Cieslak is first, the move and the decision is about fighting Opetaia and hopefully becoming the lineal cruiserweight champion. Let’s talk boxing.

David Benavidez Next Fight Key Facts

This is the second light heavyweight belt Benavidez has let go since moving up. When he vacated the WBC title, he told Boxing News , “I feel great at this weight-class, I don’t have to lose weight.”

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I would be shocked to see Benavidez fight at light heavyweight again. He was a massive super middleweight and was still a large light heavyweight. Cruiserweight seems like his best division. He showed how dominant he could be in his last fight against Gilberto Ramirez in May . Zurdo is an excellent fighter, but Benavidez was on another level. At this point, the only fight that makes sense for Benavidez is a scrap with Opetaia.

The winner of that fight could easily make the jump to try their hand at heavyweight. Tyson Fury recently threw Benavidez’s name out as a potential replacement opponent for him if Joshua wound up pulling out. That makes it seem like Benavidez-Cieslak could be set for the Fury-Joshua card . We’ve already learned Richardson Hitchins will take on Keyshawn Davis in an intriguing welterweight bout. Is a cruiserweight Benavidez fight next? We’ll likely know the details for that card over the next few weeks.