Benavidez Defeats ‘Zurdo’ By TKO, Canelo Looks To Bivol

LAS VEGAS — David Benavidez turned in a star-making performance with a brutal sixth-round stoppage of Gilberto “Jurdo” Ramirez to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) moved up to cruiserweight after winning world titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight and became a three-division world champion with a ferocious performance that proved he deserved the nickname “Mexican Monster” given to him by Mike Tyson.

“My combination, my punch selection is unlike anything else,” Benavidez said. “Whoever it is, man. I don’t care who it is. Nobody can flat out with me.”

Benavidez, 29, entered the fight as ESPN’s No. 5 pound-for-pound fighter but had long wanted to take over the Mexican holidays from Canelo Alvarez, whom he spent years fighting.

Against Ramirez, he had a chance to headline the Cinco de Mayo weekend against a fellow Mexican, and the performance he turned in Saturday suggests he could be the new face of Mexican boxing.

Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) had previously only tasted defeat once in his career, dropping a wide decision to Dimitri Bivol in 2022 when he challenged for the WBA light heavyweight title. He had success as a cruiserweight, winning four straight fights and becoming unified champion with victories over Chris Williams-Smith and Arsene Goulamirian. But he was no match for Benavidez and his superior hand speed.

“I knew the combination would be able to land easily,” Benavidez said.

Still, the way Benavidez dismantled Ramirez was eye-opening. He consistently tore up his opponents with combinations, blasting Ramirez with punches that captivated the fans in attendance.

Benavidez and Ramirez were familiar with each other in their title fights. Benavidez was 19 years old when he helped prepare Ramirez for his fight with Arthur Abraham in 2016 and reportedly fired about 300 rounds at him. But sparring is a lot different than fighting, and Ramirez found that out the hard way, leaving the ring Saturday night with what appeared to be a broken orbital bone.

“I love Ramirez. We came together,” Benavidez said. “I’m sad it had to be like this. I love “Jurdo” Ramirez, but this is it. There’s only one ‘Monstro’.”

Benavidez stayed close with Ramirez from the opening bell, picking his spots and eventually displaying trademark hand speed as his calling card. In the 4th round, Benavidez started pot-shotting with hooks and stunned Ramirez with uppercuts. Ramirez stumbled back, and Benavidez chased him down, rocking him with a stunning series of punches that forced him to take a knee.

Ramirez settled himself in round 5, but Benavidez was waiting for another chance to pounce. That opportunity came in the next round when Benavidez slammed a series of uppercuts on Ramirez. With less than 30 seconds left, another violent combination stunned Ramirez and one last salvo from Benavidez put him down for good. Ramirez’s eyes immediately began to swell and the fight was stopped at the 2:59 mark.

With the win, Benavidez may have stayed at cruiserweight but made a point of calling out former undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez at ringside.

“I just want to give the fans what they want to see,” he said. “I see Canelo in the building. Hey, let me just ask the fans: Do you want to see Canelo vs. David Benavidez? Enough said. That means we can’t leave that fight on the table. And I respect Canelo. He’s a good champion, but I’m also a great champion. Let’s do it.”

While a fight with Alvarez would be a huge event, Benavidez’s dominant performance on Saturday could make it more difficult to land. Alvarez campaigns at super middleweight, while Benavidez is unlikely to return to 168 pounds after competing at 200 pounds.

Still, Benavidez took his shot before staking his claim for a fight with the unified light heavyweight champion Bivol.

He said, Bevel is number one on my hit list. “Bivel, he’s a great competitor, great champion, but I’m also a great champion. I want to test myself every fight.”