He was undefeated at super middleweight and light heavyweight, and a world titleholder at both, but David Benavidez says competing at cruiserweight will bring out the best version of him yet.
Benavidez, 31-0 (25 KOs), is moving up to challenge unified WBA/WBO 200lbs titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in the main event of this Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will be available for purchase via Amazon’s Prime Video, DAZN, PPV.com and traditional cable and satellite outlets.
“I feel like this weight is definitely gonna help me,” Benavidez said in a press release. “Once you get to this weight, the punches are bigger. When you combine that power with my speed, I bring something to the cruiserweight division that hasn’t been seen since James Toney. My speed is superb and it’s just on a different level. This is gonna be the best David Benavidez that you see.”
Benavidez, 29, says he’s been on weight for a week.
“My training camp hasn’t really changed, but this is the most stress-free I’ve ever been,” Benavidez said. “Training is always gonna be hard, but [...] I’ve never been in a position where I don’t have to worry about the weight, and that’s gonna make me more dangerous. When you cut weight, you’re running like seven miles every single day. Right now I don’t have to run at all. I don’t have to deplete myself, and I can use that extra energy in the fight.”
He’ll need it. Ramirez, like Benavidez, has succeeded as he’s moved up in weight over the course of his career. The 34-year-old fought professionally as low as middleweight and held a world title at super middleweight from 2016 until 2019. Ramirez, 48-1 (30 KOs), took his sole defeat in an unsuccessful challenge of Dmitry Bivol for a title at light heavyweight in 2022 and then rose up in divisions once again.
In 2024, Ramirez outpointed Arsen Goulamirian for the WBA belt and did the same to Chris Billam-Smith to add the WBO title.
For Benavidez, the moves up have also been out of necessity, and not just because of the additional mercy on the scales. When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez continually refused to face Benavidez at 168, Benavidez at last went up to 175. With top light heavyweights Bivol and Artur Beterbiev either unavailable or unwilling, Benavidez is motivated to keep looking for big fights against tough foes.
“Continuing to move up and challenge world champions shows everyone that I’m serious about what I do, and that I believe in my skills 100%,” Benavidez said. “Making more history on May 2 would mean the world to me. At this point in my life, I just want to reach greatness.
“Winning these titles will definitely put me back in position to continue to push for more greatness. I’m just really happy with where I’m at in my career, and with all the risks I’m taking, because I believe it will all pay off when my career is all said and done.”
For those wondering whether Benavidez would continue on to heavyweight, that will have to wait.
“A heavyweight title would be great for my legacy, but I’m not interested in that right now,” Benavidez said. “If I go up to heavyweight, that will be later in my career. I want to go back down to 175 and win all the rest of the belts and reign there for a little bit. I definitely think heavyweight is in my future, but not right now.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
