Roy Jones Jr. Weighs In: Benavidez vs. Usyk After Verhoeven's Challenge

Following David Benavidez's impressive victory over Gilberto Ramirez, Roy Jones Jr. has called for the three-division champion to step up to heavyweight and face Oleksandr Usyk. After Usyk's lackluster showing against Verhoeven, Jones feels the timing is right for Benavidez to make history.

In an interview with FightHype, Jones stated, "Did that [Usyk performance] not make me look like a genius? Wasn’t that the right fight? Imagine if that would have been David Benavidez on that night, Usyk would have had his first loss." He emphasized that a clash with Usyk is the only fight worth pursuing for Benavidez at this stage.

While Jones is confident in Benavidez's potential, he refrained from predicting a victory against Usyk. He noted, "Usyk ain’t no garbage, he is a great fighter," but pointed out that Verhoeven's strategy of making the fight uncomfortable for Usyk could be a blueprint for Benavidez. "If I was ever going to fight Usyk, that is how I would have fought Usyk. I ain’t gonna box him, I am going to make it ugly because they don’t want to fight like that," Jones explained.

As the boxing landscape shifts, it appears that Agit Kabayel may be next in line for a title shot against Usyk, as ordered by the WBC, leaving the future of a Benavidez-Usyk matchup uncertain but tantalizing.