David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
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Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy PromotionsThe undercard of Golden Boy’s first show of the year, headlined by the rematch between welterweights Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel includes another return, between junior featherweights Manuel Flores and Jorge Chavez.
More depth to the bill has been added with 3-0 (1 KO) Uzbekistani Olympian Ruslan Abdullaev (pictured) fights in an eight-rounder at junior welterweight, while heavy-hitting Joel Iriarte – now 9-0 (8 KOs) – boxes over eight rounds at 147lbs.
Unbeaten Coachella Valley prospect Cayden Griffiths, 6-0 (6 KOs), faces Managua, Nicaragua’s Lesther Espino, who is 10-7 (8 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout and over eight rounds at junior featherweight, Sonora’s Gael “El Terror” Cabrera, 10-0 (7 KOs) takes on Uruguay’s Ruben Casero, 13-5 (5 KOs).
Los Angeles’ Scrappy Ramirez, 15-1 (9 KOs), faces Matagalpa, Nicaragua’s Byron Rojas, 29-5-3 (12 KOs) in a 10-round bantamweight bout.
In a 10-round welterweight matchup, Jordan “The Patriot” Panthen, 11-1 (9 KOs), of Poughkeepsie, New York, faces Jean Pacheco, of San Juan, who is 10-2 (1 KO).
Recent Golden Boy signing middleweight Fabian Guzman, 8-0 (7 KOs) and from Santa Ana, will take on Ecuadorian Jose Rodriguez, 3-1 (2 KOs).
Also on the card, Los Angeles welterweight Ricardo Ruvalcaba, 14-0-1 (10 KOs) has been matched with Argentine journeyman Jonathan Eniz, 37-24-1 (17 KOs) over eight rounds.
“We’re kicking off our 2026 fight calendar with the kind of high-impact, high-stakes rematches fans demanded we run back,” said Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya. “January 16 will bring classic Golden Boy excitement and showcase the Coachella Valley’s next generation of stars we’ve been shaping from the ground up.”
It was initially thought that Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the unified cruiserweight champion, could meet Robin Safar on the undercard, but that bout is no longer going ahead.
