Porter Names Beterbiev As Benavidez's Toughest Test

Shawn Porter has a clear answer when asked who represents the toughest test for David Benavidez — and it is not the name most people are talking about.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former world champion pointed to Artur Beterbiev as the fight that could genuinely trouble the three-division world champion, arguing that the Russian's power remains a legitimate threat regardless of age or inactivity. Benavidez has been working through a list of potential opponents since stopping Gilberto Ramirez in the sixth round last month to claim the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles, adding them to the WBC heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight belt he already held. The road ahead has several possible directions. Porter believes one of them leads somewhere dangerous.

"With Beterbiev, there's that power. He's still a machine. Of all those guys, I trust Beterbiev's power to test Benavidez more than anything else," Porter said. "Bivol has amazing skill. To me, Opetaia is not experienced enough."

The assessment carries weight coming from someone who has shared a ring with elite fighters at the highest level. Porter's point about Beterbiev is grounded in something real — the 41-year-old had finished every opponent he faced before Dmitry Bivol won their rematch by majority decision in February 2025, and power of that calibre does not simply disappear with age. Beterbiev has not fought since that defeat and may be approaching the end of his career, but Porter's argument is that even a diminished version of him presents a problem that Bivol's technical excellence and Opetaia's credentials do not replicate.

Benavidez's own preference has been to return to light heavyweight and chase the Bivol fight that has eluded him for the better part of two years. That pursuit has repeatedly stalled — Bivol appears to be leaning toward a trilogy with Beterbiev and carries a mandatory obligation to Callum Smith that further complicates his availability. With those doors quiet, Benavidez Sr. has acknowledged that a cruiserweight unification is emerging as the more likely next step, with the WBC mandatory against Noel Mikaelian now formally in the picture alongside the Opetaia fight his son has expressed genuine interest in.

Porter's dismissal of Opetaia as insufficiently experienced is notable. The Australian held the IBF belt, has competed at a high level, and is widely regarded as the number one cruiserweight in the world by consensus. Framing him as a step below Beterbiev in terms of the threat he poses to Benavidez is not the conventional view, and it suggests Porter sees the power variable as the decisive factor in any matchup with the Mexican Monster rather than technical sophistication or ring experience.

Benavidez at 29 is operating at the peak of his physical powers and has shown no vulnerability that would suggest the fights ahead are anything other than his to lose. But Porter's reminder that Beterbiev's hands remain the most dangerous in the light heavyweight and cruiserweight landscape, even now, is the kind of assessment that deserves to sit somewhere in the conversation as Benavidez and his team plot the next move.

The machine, Porter says, is still running.