Benavidez vs. Opetaia May 2027 Target

Jose Benavidez Sr. has floated a May 2027 date for a fight between his son, David Benavidez, and former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, offering the clearest sign yet that Team Benavidez is open to the matchup.

"Let's give the people what they want! May- Benavidez vs. Opetaia," Jose Sr.

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The post marks a shift from Jose Sr., who previously downplayed Opetaia as someone who "gets hurt in every fight" and dismissed a potential matchup as "like taking a tune-up."

David Benavidez has echoed similar skepticism in the past, favoring Gilberto Ramirez on business grounds and pushing an Opetaia fight a year or two down the road — though after stopping Ramirez in May 2026, he again called Opetaia the biggest fight in the division, while objecting to any bout taking place under the Zuffa Boxing banner Opetaia recently joined.

That promotional split remains the central obstacle. Benavidez must first get past Michal Cieslak on December 12, 2026, and both camps would still need to bridge the gap between promoters before a fight could be finalized. Jose Sr.'s post narrows the distance between the two sides, though whether it leads to a real fight — or turns out to be little more than a response to criticism — remains to be seen.