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David Benavidez Outlines His Quest for Undisputed Glory

WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez
Terrance Biggs|
David Benavidez
David Benavidez | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In an era of curated records and careful scheduling, David Benavidez is different. The current WBA (Super) and WBO cruiserweight champion wants to carve out an ambitious path.

During a press conference about his upcoming fight against WBC champion Michal Cieslak, Benavidez outlined his vision for the future. But despite sitting down to discuss his current bout, a unification fight with Cieslak, he looked ahead.

On a star-laden card, Benavidez looks to become not just a pound-for-pound contender but a dominant force in boxing. Granted, Cieslak is no slouch, with a 78.5% knockout rate. He's also defeated established champions like Jean Pascal on his way to the WBC belt. At the same time, Cieslak looks more like a speed bump, as Benavidez outlined what comes after an assumed victory.

David Benavidez
David Benavidez | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Benavidez talks Opetaia and Usyk

Benavidez will enter the Cieslak fight as the heavy favorite. With a potential win and the unified champion title, Benavidez will exert significant control over the division and dictate the flow of upcoming fights.

First up, his potential fight next May against Jai Opetaia. The cruiserweight champion believes that despite the IBF stripping Opetaia, the bout will have significance.

"Undisputed. It's going to be undisputed; it's just about what's going to happen. I mean, it doesn't even matter. I'm a win. That s--- is coming with me. That don't matter. At the end of the day we're fighting for undisputed belts. He's the champ that everybody said I was ducking and I told you I don't duck nobody."

For a couple of years, many inside the sport have mentioned wanting to see the fight happen. Most importantly, it even made Turki Alalshikh's wishlist of fights. When he wants a fight, money stops being an issue; the rest becomes a matter of logistics and stipulations.

But even after Opetaia, Benavidez wants the biggest fight of his career against a generational fighter. In the midst of his belt-collecting, he wants to be one of Oleksandr Usyk's biggest fights. Yet it would come with a slight twist.

"There are a lot of great opportunities. You know, we have spoken to Usyk about coming down to cruiserweight."

Usyk vs. Benavidez has also been a fight many have discussed. However, making the former undisputed heavyweight champion drop down in weight is quite the ask. Usyk began his career at cruiserweight, cleaning out the division before moving up.

But before all that, Benavidez needs to defeat Cieslak and Opetaia. Thinking about two fights down the road before a title fight is dangerous.

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Terrance Biggs
TERRANCE BIGGS

Terrance is a boxing writer for KO on SI. He's enjoyed over a decade of writing experience, writing for Full Press Coverage, Pro Football Sports Network and Heavy.com, covering both professional and collegiate sports. He is s a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the United States Basketball Writers Association. Terrance also votes on postseason awards like the Biletnikoff, Groza, and Thorpe Awards. Biggs earned his bachelor's degree in Communication from Fort Hays State University. When not writing, he enjoys spending time with his children and his fiancée, along with playing softball.