Jai Opetaia has his focus firmly set on Brandon Glanton, but the IBF cruiserweight champion is also looking ahead to future challenges – most notably David Benavidez.
Undefeated IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia is clearly focused on his upcoming fight against Brandon Glanton. The Australian does not get involved in the usual boxing practice of talking about possible future opponents before an upcoming fight. But when asked about what could happen after this fight, Opetaia is open to the scenario of a future duel against David Benavidez.
In an interview on Inside The Ring on DAZN, Opetaia explained that it was logical to work towards a potential fight against WBC world super-middleweight champion David Benavidez – provided he defeats Gilberto Ramirez on May 2 in his cruiserweight debut. “If Benavidez is fighting for the world title in my weight class, why shouldn’t the best fighters in the division fight each other?” asked the 28-year-old champion. “It doesn’t make sense for us not to fight when he holds the WBA and WBO titles. I just have to keep winning and do my job.”
For Opetaia, who still has his first two cruiserweight title defenses ahead of him, his first priority is victory against Brandon Glanton. But his plans for the future are clear: the Australian wants to challenge the best fighters and further consolidate his cruiserweight throne.
Text by Robin Josten