David Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) is currently gearing up to fight it out for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight world title against defending champion Gilberto Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during the Cinco de Mayo weekend. With him going up in weight, there is one fight that he sees as a future possibility, a showdown against Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs).
Talking to Ma$e & Cam’ron at the It Is What It Is show, Benavidez expressed his interest in facing the Ukrainian powerhouse after moving up in weight.
“Maybe one day we can get a fight with Usyk,” he said.
Benavidez has made it clear that his long-term roadmap is gradual; he still wants to clean out light heavyweight, then establish himself at cruiserweight, and only much later even consider heavyweight, which he himself apparently suggested could be years away due to the size jump.
With Usyk currently sitting at the top of the heavyweight division, Benavidez floating that fight as a future possibility might be possible only in a hypothetical scenario if he successfully keeps moving up divisions. On the other hand, Benavidez has relentlessly called out Canelo Alvarez and even kept doing it into 2025–2026, repeatedly saying Canelo avoided the fight when they were both at super middleweight.
Photo Credit: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy
While he hasn’t given up on the possibility of fighting Alvarez yet, he certainly isn’t one to wait around for a response. “I don’t want to wait for nobody no more. If that means jumping up weight classes, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” he said. “I just want to show everybody I’m the best.”
“Power Is In The Last Place”
Meanwhile, there is another Oleksandr who had a word of advice for Benavidez as he moves up in weight: his former opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Talking to Boxing Social, Gvozdyk, who is also Ramirez’s sparring partner, said that Benavidez shouldn’t rely on raw power as he reaches for the higher divisions.
“When I compare sparring with Gilberto and fighting Benavidez, it was harder in there against Benavidez,” Gvozdyk exclusively told Boxing Social. “But styles make fights, and Benavidez is moving up in weight. So, I don’t know what is going to happen, we will see,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter how much power Benavidez carries up when he moves up in weight, because he is not really winning because of his power…Benavidez has been winning his fights not because of his power. It’s because of his skills, because of his defense and because of his relentless pressure. This is how he wins his fights. Power is in the last place.”
Joshua Ben Joseph
Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.
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