“The UFC whatever [Apex Meta], he couldn’t even fill that out,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to MillCity Boxing about Jai Opetaia. “So, you have to have a crowd also. You have to have fans in order to make big fights happen.”
Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton by unanimous decision in that fight after joining Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing banner. The event was part of Zuffa’s continued effort to establish itself in boxing after pulling Opetaia away from the traditional sanctioning-body route.
Benavidez Sr. believes popularity and commercial value now carry as much weight as titles or rankings.
“You can be the best in the world, but if you don’t sell, you don’t sell,” said Benavidez Sr. “Now, if you’re a YouTuber and you sell, guess what? You’re going to get what you want. We’re seeing that now these days. There are guys that have a lot of followers, and they get paid more than real fighters. It’s all about numbers.”
The comments triggered mixed reactions on X, with some fans believing Benavidez Sr. was making excuses to avoid a dangerous fight against Opetaia.
Social Media reaction
“They ducking him [Opetaia] like crazy,” posted user UK Boxing News.
“FU#KING EXCUSES😂😂,” posted user drboxing1.
The criticism comes after Benavidez Sr. recently downplayed Opetaia’s ability as a fighter as well, saying he does not view him as more talented than David Morrell. That combination of technical criticism and business criticism has made some fans believe Team Benavidez is trying to cool public demand for a future fight with the hard-hitting cruiserweight champion.
Others see it differently and believe Benavidez Sr. is simply being realistic about the business side of boxing, where ticket sales, broadcasters, and social media following often carry as much value as accomplishments inside the ring.
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