Are Benavidez And Ramirez Ducking Opetaia?

“They’re obviously ducking. It’s very obvious that they don’t want to fight. In my eyes, you want to keep getting better, and you want to keep leveling up and prove you’re the best. But these guys see it in other ways. Who knows what they’re chasing? What’s he proving? What’s Zurdo trying to prove? Does that prove he’s the best in the cruiserweight division? I don’t think so. He’s fighting a guy [Benavidez] who is coming up two weight categories. What does this mean? You tell me. What am I to say to this? If he wants to be the best, he has to beat the best. He’s definitely not doing that,” Opetaia said 

The Reality

Jai’s team previously confirmed they were in negotiations for a three-belt unification bout and had even reached an agreed-upon figure with Saudi promoter Turki Al-Sheikh. Despite this, Ramirez’s camp suddenly demanded a purse of US$8 million—a figure Opetaia’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, publicly suggested was intended to price them out of the fight.

As for Benavidez, by jumping up to cruiserweight to face Ramirez, he secures a high-profile Cinco de Mayo date, a significant guaranteed paycheck, and the chance to become a three-division champion in a single, high-stakes event. This move is financially driven by the guaranteed massive draw of an “all-Mexican” title clash on a major holiday weekend, an attraction that far outweighs the commercial appeal of fighting Opetaia.