DAVID BENAVIDEZ cemented his status as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world and decided to call out another one.
The Mexican Monster destroyed Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez with a devastating sixth round TKO to claim the WBA (Super) and WBO cruiserweight titles.
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David Benavidez knocked down Gilberto Ramirez in the fifith round Credit: AP
David Benavidez celebrates his new WBA & WBO Cruiserweights and his light-heavyweight gold Credit: Getty
Ramirez’s eye was not in a good way after the fight and he headed to the hospital
Benavidez landed crushing combinations to flatten Ramirez and send his fellow-Mexican to hospital. He simply could not live with The Red Flag’s hand speed.
But the champion didn’t take great joy in demolishing his long-time friend.
Benavidez said: “I love Ramirez. We came up together. I’m kind of sad it had to happen like this. I love ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, but that’s what it is in here. There’s only one ‘Monstro.’”
Benavidez stayed in the pocket and tore into Ramirez, a man he is said to have sparred over 300 rounds with over the course of their careers. The damage to Zurdo’s right eye became evident and fast.
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Ramirez needed a head scan immediately after his loss, but his promoters, Golden Boy, have since stated he is OK.
A spokesperson said: “He’s in good spirits and has a swollen eye. There’s no determination of a fracture at this point.”
At the time of the stoppage, Benavidez was unanimously ahead on the judges’ scorecards. Two judges awarded one round to Ramirez and that’s as good as it got for him.
Benavidez, who is 32-0 with 26 knockouts, now holds world titles in two weight classes simultaneously.
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Canelo is negotiating his return following his last outing, the loss to Terence Crawford Credit: Getty
The 29-year-old has now become a three-weight world champion, but he wants a showdown with compatriot Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, a man who has held titles in four weight classes and been undisputed twice.
Canelo, who has so often headlined fights over Cinco De Mayo weekend, was sitting ringside for the title clash at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Speaking in the ring after his victory, Benavidez said: “I just want to give the fans what they want to see. I see Canelo in the building. Hey, let me just ask the fans this: Do you guys want to see Canelo versus David Benavidez? Enough said.
“That means that we can’t leave that fight on the table. And I respect Canelo. He’s a good champion. But I’m a great champion too. Let’s do it.”
This is far from the first time that Benavidez has called out Alvarez, but thus far the latter has shown precious little interest in taking the fight.
It’s long been thought the pair clashing over Cinco De Mayo weekend would set brand new records in live gates and pay-per-view buys, but Alvarez seems to have his heart set on becoming undisputed for a third time at 168 pounds.
Benavidez made his cruiserweight debut in his victory over Ramirez and he weighed 196.8lbs, three-plus under the cruiserweight cap at 200.
Canelo has been rumoured to face Christian Mbilli next for the WBC super-middleweight title. Reports suggest that bout, though not finalised, will go down in Saudi Arabia in September.
