FORGET Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, boxing may already have its biggest fight of 2027 lined up.
Jai Opetaia and David Benavidez are two undefeated monsters, both in their prime and seemingly desperate to collide after their stunning in-ring confrontation last night.
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And if their words are anything to go by, this one could already be signed, sealed and delivered for Las Vegas next May.
Opetaia ruthlessly stopped WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian via the ninth round TKO on the main undercard of Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn, before being confronted by mandatory challenger Benavidez.
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Mikaelian had been facing the threat of being stripped of his belt before the fight even happened after sidestepping Benavidez.
But Australian southpaw Opetaia took care of business, and then agreed to meet the Mexican-American star next.
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Benavidez climbed through the ropes and said: “Let’s do it here next year, Cinco de Mayo here next year.”
Opetaia’s response was simple: “Done.”
Benavidez, 29, then laid down the gauntlet, declaring: “This is a great fighter right here, a strong fighter. But there can only be one monster in this weight division, and that’s me!”
Opetaia, 31, replied: “I respect Benavidez, he has done a lot for the sport.
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The Home of Boxing in 2026
There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
Anthony Joshua returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year.
The Gypsy King also features in a warm-up bout the day before AJ, as he takes on Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
And Moses Itauma returns for his toughest fight yet against Filip Hrgovic in August.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
July
- Sat 4 – Bruce Carrington vs Rene Palacios
- Sat 18 – Harlem Eubank vs David Papot – DAZN
- Fri 24 – Tyson Fury vs Mariusz Wach
- Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN
- Sun 26 – Errol Spence Jr vs Tim Tszyu
August
- Sat 1 – Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain – DAZN
- Sat 15 – Claressa Shields vs Kaye Scott – DAZN
- Sat 29 – Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN
September
- Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN
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“He has said he is taking the fight now, he can’t take it back, so let’s go.”
And Benavidez added: “I respect him so much; he’s the boogeyman of the division. We are going to give the fans a helluva’ fight.”
Opetaia had just survived his toughest moments against Mikaelian, too, being forced to desperately grab and hold in the seventh after being walked onto a huge right hand.
He regained his composure and control before the round closed, then eventually broke Mikaelian down and stopped him in the ninth.
Afterwards, Opetaia said: “He was as tough as nails, it was good to share the ring with him – but who is next?
“He clipped me but I am used to it now, but I am still here and still undefeated.”
That undefeated record now stands at a staggering 31-0 with 24 knockouts.
And there is a reason Opetaia has been compared with Oleksandr Usyk at cruiserweight.
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Like the Ukrainian legend, he is a southpaw who combines speed, movement and technical brilliance with the power to finish a fight.
He has already shared the ring with Jack Massey, stopping the Brit in the sixth round on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev‘s first fight with Dmitry Bivol in October 2024.
But Benavidez represents an entirely different proposition.
The 6ft 3in ‘Mexican Monster’ is 32-0 with 26 knockouts and has spent years terrorising opponents, conquering the light-heavyweight division.
He has now moved into cruiserweight, and made his bow there in spectacular fashion by stopping Gilberto Ramirez in the sixth round in May to claim the WBO cruiserweight title.
Put simply, this is a collision between two unbeaten knockout artists who have barely had time to settle into their new division before calling each other out.
And that is why this could be the fight boxing needs more than Fury-AJ.
Fury and Joshua have spent almost a decade circling each other, with a potential showdown finally being discussed for November amid growing rumours Cardiff’s Principality Stadium could host it.
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But there are still plenty of hurdles before that fight becomes reality, and by then Fury will be 38 while Joshua will be 37.
Opetaia, meanwhile, will be 31 next May and Benavidez will be 30.
Both are entering the years when elite fighters are at their absolute peak.
There is also a fascinating knock-on effect elsewhere in the division.
Benavidez had previously been linked with a move back towards either Beterbiev or Bivol, while calls have been made for the two Russians to settle their rivalry with a third fight.
Beterbiev won their first encounter in October 2024 before Bivol took the rematch four months later.
Bivol is now due to face mandatory challenger Callum Smith in December after choosing to step aside from a third meeting.
If Bivol gets through that, a Beterbiev-Bivol decider in 2027 could finally become realistic.
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And with Benavidez seemingly heading towards Opetaia instead, the pieces could be falling into place.
Fury-AJ might be the biggest heavyweight fight still waiting to happen, but Opetaia-Benavidez could be the biggest fight in boxing right now.