Despite the ninth-round stoppage that left Noel Mikaelian looking completely dazed, leaving referee Harvey Dock no option but to stop the fight, Jai Opetaia‘s reputation continues to draw questions. Unconvinced, fans continue to raise doubt over the Australian’s chances against star David Benavidez.
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One after another, many took to social media to call out Opetaia, saying he is still not ready to face “The Mexican Monster.” Their concerns come at a time when the matchup has major implications for the cruiserweight division. Fighting in the co-main event of the Zuffa card headlined by Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, Opetaia and Mikaelian drew particular attention because a win for either fighter could mean a face-off against Benavidez.
“OPETAIA X BENAVIDEZ‼️ Jai Opetaia and David Benavidez come face to face and agree to fight 🔥,” read the tweet from Ring Magazine.
The post featured moments from after Opetaia won the fight. Stepping inside the ring, Benavidez warmly greeted the Zuffa and Ring cruiserweight champion, congratulating him. When the American champion challenged to a Cinco de Mayo appearance in 2027, Opetaia readily agreed.
“Done,” he said.
The two champions previously met in February. Their paths crossed at a boxing event, where Benavidez told Opetaia that he wanted to fight him in the future. Seemingly, the encounter only increased his desire to make it happen.
The Australian cruiserweight’s tussle with the IBF, which stripped him of their title following his deal with Dana White’s Zuffa boxing, presented a roadblock.
Meanwhile, Benavidez’s stoppage win over Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez made him the unified champion and removed one major hurdle confronting the matchup.
Yet, challenges continued to linger. Mikaelian’s promoter, Don King, objected to the matchup with Opetaia. After sending a cease-and-desist letter, the veteran promoter announced that the fight will not be sanctioned by the WBC.
The move posed considerable risk since a win would leave Opetaia with the Ring and Zuffa titles, which would mean little for Benavidez. However, relief came after it became known that the winner would receive the vacant WBA (regular) title.
So, with his win, Opetaia has unofficially become a mandatory challenger to Benavidez, making a face-off increasingly likely.
Beyond the titles, a fight closely aligns with Opetaia and Benavidez’s ambitions. The American has frequently spoken about his goal to fight top-rated fighters, and a matchup against Opetaia would provide a clear test that could put to rest any lingering doubts over his dominance.
Meanwhile, Opetaia has often spoken about his dream of becoming an undisputed champion. With him now becoming a WBA champion, a win over Benavidez would move him closer to that goal.
Yet, for all the positive developments and Opetaia’s confidence, fans do not sound encouraged.
Fans refuse to believe Jai Opetaia can survive Benavidez
“David Benavidez could face jail time for what he’d do to Jai Opetaia 😂🥊,” wrote one fan. That sentiment stems from Benavidez’s ferocious reputation as a knockout specialist. With 26 out of his 32 wins ending inside the distance, the Arizona-born cruiserweight remains one of boxing’s foremost finishers. Since August 2020, seven of his ten bouts have ended either by knockout or corner retirement.
“Don’t ever tell me Jai Opetaia can beat David Benavidez!” one user stated. Another fan shared the sentiment, saying, “Keep Jai Opetaia far away from David Benavidez.”
While beating Benavidez still remains a stretch, even for someone like Opetaia, who boasts an impressive 77% knockout-to-win rate, what matters more now is that the matchup with Benavidez now looks increasingly inevitable. The top two cruiserweights in the world are on a collision course.
The confidence in The Mexican Monster giving the Australian a historic beating continued. For instance, one fan added, “David Benavidez will f**k up Jai Opetaia. I don’t know how y’all see different.” Those remarks closely resembled another user’s comments: “David Benavidez would beat TF out, Jai Opetaia!!”
From the comments, it appears many fans have already written the post-script for Benavidez vs. Opetaia.
The confidence in Benavidez to claim a dominant win is understandable. But Opetaia certainly deserves a chance to prove himself. Physically, both fighters match evenly. The only difference, besides reputation and status, that separates the two remains world-class experience.
Compared with Opetaia, Benavidez’s resume displays more notable names. That experience could certainly come in handy when he steps into the ring against the Australian next year.
Most significantly, what Zuffa does with Opetaia’s win is something that needs to be closely watched. Will they proceed and support their fighter’s ambitions, leading to a finalized fight with Benavidez, or will today’s win lead to something else? That remains a big question.