Benavidez mentioned Oleksandr Usyk when discussing how far he is willing to go in his career, viewing it as something that could happen down the line someday if he continues moving up in weight.
“Maybe one day we can get a fight with Usyk,” Benavidez said to the It Is What It Is YouTube channel.
The comment came as Benavidez laid out his current plans, which are focused on competing at higher weights after already stepping up to light heavyweight. He indicated that cruiserweight is the next step, not heavyweight, and that any talk of facing someone like Usyk sits further ahead.
The unified heavyweight champion Usyk has already said he’s retiring after three more fights. It starts with Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids, followed by a WBO title fight (likely against the Wardley-Dubois winner), and ends with the Tyson Fury trilogy.
By the time he finishes that trilogy, Usyk will likely be 40 or 41 and ready to focus on his football career and promotional work.
After years of calling for a fight with Saul Alvarez, Benavidez said he is no longer waiting for one opponent to define his path. Instead, he is continuing to move forward, taking on new challenges as they come.
“I don’t want to wait for nobody no more,” Benavidez said. “If that means jumping up weight classes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Benavidez says he is done waiting, yet his Usyk comment requires the ultimate wait. Usyk isn’t going to sit around for two years while Benavidez acclimates to 200 lbs and then tries to move up to heavyweight.
By mentioning the man who beat Fury and Joshua, Benavidez keeps his name in the same breath as the “Pound for Pound” kings. It makes him look like a fearless conqueror, even if the fight is practically impossible.
“I just want to show everybody I’m the best,” he said.
Benavidez’s future appears to be at 175 and 200 rather than heavyweight. He’s got his hands full with Zurdo Ramirez next month, and that is a real fight
