Former welterweight world champion Zab Judah firmly pushed back on the idea of David Benavidez moving up to heavyweight for a fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
“No, no, no. David, listen. You’re a smart guy. Heavyweight is a completely different story,” Judah said in an interview with the YouTube channel MillCity Boxing. “Usyk isn’t coming down to 93 kilos. What does he usually weigh? 108? Fine, 104. But in a fight, I’m sure he’ll come in at 118 to 122 kilos. Why do you want to fight a guy that big? That’s not cool.”
Judah stressed that his stance has nothing to do with any suggestion that Benavidez is afraid. On the contrary, he considers the American one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport today.
“It’s not that Benavidez is scared. He’s not scared of anybody. I don’t think anybody can beat him. But that’s like running into the barrel of a gun,” Judah said. “Have two more fights at cruiserweight, then move up. Why jump straight into the damn heavyweight division? You just put on 11 kilos. You’re still not satisfied? A man is never satisfied.”
