Benavidez Chases History Against Zurdo Ramirez on Cinco de Mayo Weekend
David Benavidez headlines a Cinco de Mayo weekend pay-per-view at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, moving up to cruiserweight to challenge unified WBA and WBO champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in an all-Mexico showdown that could mint a new three-division world champion. Ringwalks for the main event are scheduled for roughly 11:20 p.m. ET on the PBC PPV stream available through Prime Video and DAZN.
A Benavidez win would make him the 58th fighter in boxing history to capture world titles in three weight classes, joining a list that most recently added Devin Haney last November. The Phoenix native is the betting favorite at -390, but he is also walking into a serious test at a new weight. He has stopped most of his recent opponents at super middleweight and light heavyweight, including a seventh-round destruction of Anthony Yarde in November, but Ramirez has gone the distance in each of his four outings as a cruiserweight world champion.
Julio Cesar Chavez warned this week that the move up could cost Benavidez, predicting a much harder night than the betting line suggests. The co-main is no walk-over either, with former titleholder Jaime Munguia challenging Armando “Toro” Resendiz for the WBA super middleweight strap on short notice after Jermall Charlo withdrew from the original assignment. The undercard rounds out with Oscar Duarte vs. Angel Fierro at 140 and Isaac Lucero vs. Ismael Flores.
Even the sanctioning storyline has carried weight. The WBO and WBA confirmed this week that they will be the only belts on the line after a settlement with the WBC, which had planned to award its traditional Cinco de Mayo special belt.
Benavidez, 31-0 with 25 knockouts, won his first major belt at the record-young age of 20 and is an established top-10 pound-for-pound fighter. Ramirez, 48-1 with 30 knockouts, is a former WBO super middleweight king whose only loss came to Dmitry Bivol at 175, and he has rebuilt himself as a steady champion at cruiserweight with wins over Arsen Goulamirian and Yuniel Dorticos.
Source: CBS Sports, ESPN, BoxingScene, DAZN
