Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez plans to go straight into David Benavidez Cruiserweight fight despite period of inactivity.
After David Benavidez stopped Anthony Yarde in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November, he announced he will be moving up to Cruiserweight to challenge Zurdo Ramirez in 2026 for his WBA and WBO world titles.
Zurdo unified the cruiserweight division back in 2024 with a dominant but competitive points victory over Chris Billiam-Smith in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Latino night.
Since then boxing fans have been calling for further unifications in the cruiserweight division.
Most notably, fans have been calling for Zurdo to face IBF and Ring Magazine champion Jai Opetaia.
With that fight failing to materialise and Opetaia joining the new and untested Zuffa Boxing, Zurdo vs Benavidez is the next best fight to make.
An all Mexican war in the cruiserweight division will capture the imagination of the proud boxing nation, as well as attracting interest globally.
With only one fight in 2025, it was believed that the champion was planning to have a ‘warm-up’ fight before clashing with the monster that is Benavidez.
However, BoxingScene has confirmed that the unified WBA/WBO cruiserweight titlist will forgo a once-planned tune-up and head straight into his mouthwatering showdown with David Benavidez.
The two will meet on May 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Speaking to BoxingScene, Ramirez said he is “Truly honored to defend my WBA and WBO titles and represent Mexico on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas,”.
Cinco de Mayo is a historic annual celebration in Mexico, and with two fighters of Mexican heritage at the top of the sport clashing for the unified world titles, it is set to be a spectacle to behold.
For Benavidez, victory will make him a two weight world champion and allow him to further climb the pound for pound rankings.
For Ramirez, this is an opportunity to secure cruiserweight supremacy, as well as the opportunity to fight Jai Opetaia in what is one of the most sought for fights in the sport.
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