Title defence rumoured for Benavidez-Ramírez undercard.
David Benavidez will seek to become a champion in three weight divisions when he takes on Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramírez for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles.
The match is compelling for a number of reasons. Firstly, both Benavidez and Ramírez are former super-middleweights who enjoyed a massive size advantage over their opponents in the division.
Secondly, with Ramírez being Mexican and Benavidez being of Mexican heritage, there is a classic Hispanic flair that always signals a terrific fight. Not to mention that the fight is taking place on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Thirdly, Benavidez is unbeaten in 31 fights, while Ramírez has lost just once in 49. And lastly, the clash could set up big things for the winner, with several names as potential options afterwards.
Whichever way you look at it, Benavidez-Ramírez is an absolute scorcher that nobody will want to miss. Despite there being no announced undercard, the show is guaranteed to do big numbers.
However, there is now word that the supporting cast is going to showcase a recently-minted Mexican world champion, who will be making the maiden defence of his title.
This champion is Armando Resendiz, who claimed the WBA interim super-middleweight title following a win over Caleb Plant that was voted by The Ring as the 2025 “Upset of the Year”.
When Terence Crawford vacated all the 168-pound trinkets he won from Canelo Álvarez upon his retirement in December, Resendiz was upgraded to full WBA world champion, opening the door for exciting future fights at the weight.
While we previously had a shortlist of opponents who Resendiz would potentially face in his first world title defence, we now know for sure who the frontrunner is.
Resendiz (16-2, 11 KOs) is in talks to fight Jermall Charlo (34-0, 23 KOs), the former IBF super-welterweight and WBC middleweight champion.
Since being stripped of his WBC middleweight title, Charlo has moved up to super-middleweight, where he has beaten Jose Benavidez Jr. (older brother of David Benavidez) and Thomas LaManna.
Charlo’s victory over LaManna arrived in his most recent fight and featured on the undercard of Resendiz’s upset victory over Plant. Plant and Charlo’s respective placements on the show were meant to set up a fight between the pair, but Resendiz derailed those plans entirely.
Now it would seem that Charlo will be getting the opportunity to fight the man who beat Plant instead while also receiving the chance to become a three-division champion at the same time.
Should the fight go ahead, it will be the first time Charlo will be challenging for a world title since he fought IBF super-welterweight champion Cornelius Bundrage in September of 2015 (his reign as WBC middleweight champion was because he was upgraded from interim titlist).
With the possibility of Charlo-Resendiz on the undercard (as well as rumoured talks of a WBA interim welterweight title fight between Shakhram Giyasov and Raúl Curiel), Benavidez-Ramírez looks like it’s shaping up to be an absolutely superb night of action.
Armando Resendiz is in talks to defend his WBA super middleweight title vs Jermall Charlo on the May 2nd ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez vs David Benavidez card, sources have told @MikeCoppinger. pic.twitter.com/CS0qxDGc7p
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) March 16, 2026
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