David Benavidez makes u-turn on facing Oleksandr Usyk next

While determined to craft an illustrious legacy at 200lbs, David Benavidez has now reconsidered a possible heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk.

Their potential encounter was mooted following Benavidez’s sixth-round stoppage of Gilberto Ramirez, who he dethroned for the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles in May.

In doing so, ‘The Mexican Monster’ became a three-division world champion while still holding his WBC light-heavyweight strap, though it now seems that he is ruling out a move back down to 175lbs.

Instead, Benavidez is set to face Michal Cieslak for the WBC cruiserweight title on December 12, with Noel Mikaelian likely to be stripped of the belt following his ninth-round stoppage defeat to Jai Opetaia over the weekend.

The 29-year-old could therefore end up with three major belts at 200lbs by the end of this year, before pursuing a mouthwatering showdown with Opetaia in 2027.

Equally, though, Benavidez has expressed his interest in facing Usyk after admitting in June that he was not ready for a move up to heavyweight.

Speaking to The Ring’s Mike Coppinger while in attendance for Ryan Garcia’s second-round stoppage of Conor Benn, the unbeaten Mexican-American outlined his future as being at 200lbs but also named Usyk as a potential next opponent.

“I feel great at this weight class. I don’t have to lose weight; I’ve never felt as good as I did in my last fight.

“So I wanna be the reigning [cruiserweight] champion for a long time. But if we get a fight with Usyk, I’m not going to turn it down.”

Quick ringside interview with David Benavidez after Jai Opetaia’s emphatic TKO win over Noel Mikaelian. Benavidez says Opetaia looked slow and easy to hit, easy to hurt. Who are you picking in this one? One of the best fights you can make in boxing 🧨 pic.twitter.com/toW5862icQ

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 13, 2026

Usyk comes off an 11th-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven and, despite vacating his three belts in June, the Ukrainian remains the lineal heavyweight champion.