Mexican Monster David Benavidez seeks spot with greats

David Benavidez is chasing more than a victory Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He wants a spot along with the greats in boxing. The so-called Mexican Monster is moving up 25 pounds to cruiserweight for a chance to make history against Gilberto Ramirez. 

With a victory over Zurdo Ramirez, Benavidez would become the first boxer to win world titles at 168 pounds, 175 pounds and 200 pounds. 

“That just catapults me into the same category as the greats,” Benavidez said. “It’s very hard to become world champion once. It’s very hard to become world champion in two weight classes. So doing it in three weight classes would put me in the same conversations as the greats.”

First, however, Benavidez must beat Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion. Benavidez, a Mexican American from Phoenix, and Ramirez headline the Mexico vs. Mexico card, which is a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video.

Benavidez enters the bout 31-0. Ramirez is 48-1. The fighters are quite familiar with each other. They actually trained together in the past. 

“I’m very excited for this,” Benavidez said. “I’ve been training extremely hard. I got five months training in this training camp because I knew Zurdo Ramirez is a great fighter. He’s a great champion. We did a lot of rounds with him back then, and I know he’s gonna come to fight, you know, big respects to all these guys over here.

“With that being said, it’s time to go to war. And when David Benavidez goes to war, he doesn’t shy away from anything. When I see the fire, I put myself in the fire to get the best version out of myself. And I’m not scared of nobody.”

Another major challenge

Benavidez, 29, proudly represents his Mexican and Ecuadorian heritage. He’s established himself as a fighter willing to step in the ring with anyone. He has been calling out Mexican icon Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (63-3-2) for the last four years. Canelo has repeatedly passed on fighting Benavidez, though.

“I’m a different type of fighter than everyone else,” Benavidez said. “I’ve been fighting the best in the world again and again.” 

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Ramirez, 34, is a native of Mazatlan, Mexico. He’s eager to give Benavidez his first loss while also embracing the moment. 

“It’s an honor to be here, and I’m super excited. This is Cinco de Mayo,” Ramirez said. “This is for all my Mexican people. I’m the best. I’m the champion and I’m going to keep the belt. We’re going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a big party!”

Regardless of the outcome, Benavidez will return to the 175-pound weight class, where he holds the WBC title. But he’s open to pursuing a belt in a fourth division down the line. 

“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 the rest of the belts and reign there for a bit. I definitely think heavyweight is in my future, but not right now.”

Armando Resendiz set for Jaime Munguia

For now, Benavidez is focused on making history by beating Ramirez.  The co-main event will feature WBA super middleweight Armando “Toro” Resendiz against former champion Jaime Munguia.

Resendiz is eager to prove that his upset over Caleb Plant last year was no fluke.“I know they think that,” Resendiz says of the cynics. “It’s about putting in the work. God willing, we’re able to go out there, execute the game plan, and with that discipline, be able to come out with a win. Simple as that.”