Roy Jones Jr believes David Benavidez should move directly to heavyweight and pursue a blockbuster showdown with Oleksandr Usyk while the opportunity remains available.
Benavidez recently captured the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles after stopping Gilberto Ramirez in dominant fashion at T-Mobile Arena on May 2. He stopped him in the sixth round.
Following the victory, several major options opened for ‘The Monster,’ including potential fights against Jai Opetaia, Dmitry Bivol, Canelo Alvarez, and even Usyk.
Among those possibilities, Jones believes the Usyk fight should take priority.
Roy Jones Jr calls Usyk fight biggest opportunity for Benavidez
Speaking about Benavidez’s future, Jones described a potential fight with Usyk as one of the biggest matchups currently available in boxing.
“This is one of the biggest fights of this decade right now,” Jones said on the ‘All The Smoke Fight’ podcast.
The boxing legend urged Benavidez not to waste time and to capitalize on the momentum created by his cruiserweight title-winning performance.
“Take it while it is hot, don’t play with ‘em and don’t let ‘em play with you.”
Jones believes timing is crucial and argued that Benavidez should challenge Usyk immediately rather than risking the opportunity disappearing later.
“Go up and fight Usyk while it is hot, while it makes sense,” he explained.
Jones warns Benavidez about Opetaia risk
Jones also broke down why he feels Benavidez should delay a potential fight with Opetaia for now.
“You can always come back down and fight Opetaia if you want to,” Jones said.
According to him, even if Benavidez were to lose against Usyk at heavyweight, a future fight with Opetaia would still remain attractive and possible.
“If you lost to Usyk, the Opetaia fight is still there,” he added.
However, Jones believes the opposite scenario could seriously damage the possibility of landing the Usyk fight.
“If you lose to Opetaia, the Usyk fight is gone.”
The former four-division world champion emphasized that Benavidez should think strategically about the next stage of his career.
“Be smart about this thing,” Jones said.
Jones believes Benavidez has real chance
Despite Usyk’s dominance in boxing, Jones made it clear that he believes Benavidez has a legitimate chance in the matchup.
“If you beat Usyk, you won’t ever have to see Opetaia,” he said.
Jones also reminded fans that heavyweight boxing can change instantly, regardless of reputation or experience.
“In a boxing ring, with those 10oz gloves on, anything can happen.”
That unpredictability is one reason why Jones feels Benavidez should embrace the risk instead of avoiding it.
Meanwhile, Usyk is scheduled to take on kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven on May 23, where he will be putting his WBC heavyweight title on the line.
Benavidez now finds himself in one of the strongest positions of his career. After moving up in weight and capturing titles at cruiserweight, his stock has risen significantly across the sport.
Potential fights against Usyk, Opetaia, Bivol, and even Alvarez continue to generate major discussion among fans and analysts.
