‘I want my respect’: David Benavidez talks willingness to challenge Oleksandr Usyk at heavyweight

During yesterday’s official press conference to announce the December 5 card headlined by David Benavidez vs Michal Cieslak, Benavidez talks about looking forward to bigger matchups to come in the heavier divisions, even his willingness to move up to heavyweight, if necessary, to take on Oleksandr Usyk. Check out some of what he had to say below.

Benavidez on tareting an Opetaia fight for Cinco De Mayo weekend

“It’s going to be [for] undisputed…At the end of the day we’re fighting for undisputed belts. He’s the champ that everybody said I was ducking and I told people I don’t duck nobody.”

On whether an Usyk fight is realistic

“There’s a lot of great opportunities. We have spoken to Usyk about coming down to cruiserweight. It would be for undisputed, obviously. Right now he has no belts in heavyweight. He’s a lineal champ but there’s no belts, he let all the belts go.

“Obviously it’d be a big fight me with Usyk, but there’s more history that this fight was going to be for all four belts. But we’ll see. If they want me to go up, hell, I don’t give a f-ck. I want the fight, I want to fight the best people. And If I got to go up there and fight for the lineal belt with no belts, I’ll do that. I just want to fight the best in the world. I want my respect and I’m going to get it one way or another.”

On how he would prepare for an Usyk fight

“Studying a lot, using all the experience I have from all the fighters. I’ve fought a lot of great European fighters, I’ve sparred a lot of great European fighters that are lefty. And the thing about me is I retain a lot of information because this is something I love to do. Also, I’m able to learn a lot of stuff going into a fight. Especially if I’m going into a fight with Usyk, man. Honestly, I’m going to train for that fight like I’m scare [for] my life, and that’s going to bring the best version out of me.

“I’m not going to run because I don’t run. But I’m going to train as if I’m scared for my life and that’s how you get the best version of yourself. And I just want to prove myself to the people. And this fight with Usyk, it just came out of nowhere like a year ago…Usyk has more accolades than Canelo, in my opinion. Once I beat him, there’s no denying me my spot in the history of boxing.”