David Benavidez Is Getting Exactly What He Wanted With Gilberto Ramírez Fight

LAS VEGAS — On Thursday, David Benavidez made the rounds at the press center inside the MGM Grand, a wide smile on his face. Ordinarily, fight weeks are grueling for Benavidez. He’s either squeezing his 6' 3" frame down to 168-pounds, as he did between 2016 and ’23, or 175, as he has since ’24. This week, Benavidez has some more, uh, eating room, as he prepares to challenge Gilberto Ramírez for the unified cruiserweight (200-pound limit) championship. “David Benavidez cutting weight was a dangerous monster,” said Benavidez. “So now when I don’t got to cut weight, I’m just really excited.”

A throng of cameras followed Benavidez as he made his way between interviews. This is something Benavidez wanted, too. The attention. The spotlight. The vibe of what comes with a big fight. At 168-pounds, Benavidez chased Canelo Alvarez, then the reigning undisputed king. At 175, he hunted Dmitry Bivol. He’s had success: wins over Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade at 168, a title at 175. But the big events have eluded him.

“I don’t feel pressure at all,” said Benavidez. “I love this.”

This one is big. It’s big in a literal sense—there has never been a world title fight between two fighters of Mexican descent at above 168-pounds. A raucous crowd is expected at T-Mobile Arena, part of Benavidez’s plan to take over the Mexican holiday weekends Alvarez once had a stranglehold on. “This is something that we all dream of,” said Benavidez. “And I could show my heart and I can show my spirit and I can show I’m a Mexican on this date with the fights I give.”

Benavidez (31–0) has seemed unconcerned about the 25-pound jump from light heavyweight to cruiserweight. Ramírez is also a former 168-pound champion. But Ramírez is in his fifth fight at cruiserweight. He won belts against Arsen Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith in two of them. He defended against a former champion, Yuniel Dorticos, in another. He’s a full-fledged cruiserweight. Benavidez, who says this is a one-off in a higher weight class, is not.

It doesn’t matter, Benavidez says. He’s been sparring with cruiserweights and heavyweights in this camp. “You expect them to hit harder,” Benavidez said. “They don’t.” He will have the speed advantage. The quickness advantage. And while Ramírez (38–1) has pop, he believes he will be the stronger man in the ring.

Another thing: Benavidez knows Ramírez. They go back more than a decade, with Benavidez serving as Ramírez’s sparring partner when he was a teenager. In 2016, he helped Ramírez prepare for his super middleweight title fight against Arthur Abraham. He’s estimated he has sparred more than 300 rounds with Ramírez, a boxing lifetime of familiarity.

“I’ve already tested what works on him, what doesn’t work on him,” Benavidez said. “I test what hurts him, what doesn’t hurt him, what are his strong suits, what are his weaknesses. So that information’s in my head. And once you put yourself in a situation, in a moment of stress where it’s kill or be killed? The best is going to come out of me.”

Benavidez respects Ramírez. But he sees weaknesses. Not just physical. This week, Ramírez, 34, remarked that he only has a few fights left in his career. “I think that’s something he should have kept in his brain to himself,” said Benavidez. He credits Ramírez for his cruiserweight wins but doesn’t think Goulamirian and Billam-Smith are on his level. “I respect Zurdo Ramírez a lot,” said Benavidez. “But there’s no respect in the ring from me.”

If Ramírez is at the end, Benavidez, 29, believes he is just getting started. He plans to drop down in weight after the fight to challenge Bivol, who will end a 15-month layoff next month in a title defense against Michael Eifert. He is no longer chasing Canelo but noted the reports that Alvarez plans to be ringside on Saturday to support his stablemate, Jaime Munguia. “He’s coming to see me up close and in person,” said Benavidez. Informed of the reports that Canelo will challenge Christian Mbili in his next fight, Benavidez said, “Who wants to see that s---?”

Benavidez is on his own path now. Ramírez’s style “has been downloaded into my brain,” said Benavidez. Whatever strategy Ramírez has, Benavidez will have a counter. “I have plan A, B and C,” said Benavidez. For years he has asked for the biggest and best fights. This is one of them. A win will lead to more.

“There’s still a lot of goals,” said Benavidez. “I mean, I still have another 10 years in boxing, probably 15. So that’s just continuing to be the best version of myself, continuing to dominate these fighters, dominate these champions, and keep being the Mexican Monster.”

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