Last month, at Ryan Garcia’s boxing event, David Benavidez hugged Jai Opetaia and told him, “I definitely want to get a fight in with you in the future.” However, recent comments from his father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., don’t appear to reinforce those sentiments.

As he prepares for his cruiserweight debut, a Cinco de Mayo showdown against unified champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramírez, David Benavidez and his team have mapped out a plan that does not appear to include Jai Opetaia. Speaking with Sean Zittel, Benavidez Sr. outlined a roadmap where matchups against Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol carry more weight than one with the Australian champion, who recently made his debut under Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

“To be honest with you, Opetaia, I think he gets hurt in every fight he fights,” Benavidez Sr. explained. “He gets hurt by fighters that are not even known. I think he needs a little bit more experience. And I keep—I’m going to say the same thing as David Morrell. Everybody said that he was the next big thing and that he was going to make David look like an amateur.

“You know, he doesn’t have the experience that David has. I think he is going to be better in about three or four more years. You know, I think he’s lacking experience a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good fighter. He is going to be a great fighter, but right now he doesn’t have the experience that David has.”

Benavidez Sr. believes Beterbiev, Bivol, and Zurdo offer a more competitive test for his son than Opetaia at this stage. His doubts also hinge on Opetaia fighting under the Zuffa banner, a move that came under intense scrutiny following the controversy surrounding Opetaia’s fight sanction and the IBF title.

Given how things stand, Benavidez Sr. also questioned whether fans would be interested in watching David face someone from a promotion that’s still gaining ground.

The Benavidez plan vs. Opetaia’s dilemma

“Our mind right now is Beterbiev-Bivol-Zurdo – that’s what we’re thinking of,” he remarked. “Later in the future, anything’s possible. I think – I don’t know how this is going to go now with him and Zuffa and the titles and all that. That complicates everything, you know, at the end of the day. I don’t know if they’re going to strip them or what’s going to happen, to be honest with you. So, I don’t see us fighting for the Zuffa belt right now.”

For now, things seem set in that direction.

After winning the rematch against Beterbiev last February, Bivol looks set to return this May on the Usyk-Rico Verhoeven Egypt card, where he will face Michael Eifert in a title defense. While rumors about a trilogy with Beterbiev continue to circulate, there’s a good chance he might end up facing David Benavidez or, potentially, even Canelo in a rematch.

While Benavidez Sr.’s arguments may sound reasonable, the other half of the matchup – Jai Opetaia – may, however, find it difficult to accept.

After declaring his intention to become an undisputed champion at 200 pounds, the Sydney-born fighter, who even issued a callout to David Benavidez on “Inside the Ring,” expressed his displeasure when officials announced the Benavidez-Zurdo fight.

“I’ve been waiting for the unification fights for years,” Opetaia reportedly said. “I’m sick of the excuses. None of these other champions are in a hurry to face me – and we all know why.”

For him, having to wait and watch for a marquee fight while other champions move towards lucrative deals will be tough to stomach.