DAVID BENAVIDEZ KNOCKS OUT ZURDO RAMIREZ TO UNIFY WBA AND WBO BELTS
David Benavidez captured the WBA/WBO cruiserweight titles with a 6th-round TKO of Zurdo Ramirez before calling out Canelo Alvarez.
David Benavidez put on an unforgettable show Saturday night, stopping Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena to grab the WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts.
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) jumped up to cruiserweight after winning belts at super middleweight and light heavyweight, and he didn’t just win; he dominated. Mike Tyson dubbed him the “Mexican Monster", and honestly, Benavidez lived up to that name.
"My combination, my punch selection, is unlike anything else," Benavidez said. "Whoever it is, man, I don't care who it is: nobody can f--- with me."
At 29, Benavidez came in ranked No. 5 pound-for-pound by ESPN, but for years, he’s wanted to snatch the Mexican holiday spotlight from Canelo Alvarez. He’s chased that fight for ages.
This time, he finally got to headline on Cinco de Mayo weekend, facing another Mexican star. And with the beating he laid on Ramirez, Benavidez might have just snatched the title of Mexico’s top boxer.
Afterwards, a Golden Boy Promotions spokesperson confirmed Ramirez was taken to the hospital for a head scan. "He's in good spirits and has a swollen eye," the spokesperson said. "There's no determination of a fracture at this point."
Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) had only lost once before against Dmitry Bivol in 2022 for the WBA light heavyweight title. He’d been rolling at cruiserweight, piecing together four straight wins and hauling in two titles. But against Benavidez, Ramirez just couldn’t keep up with the blistering hand speed.
"I knew that the combination was going to be able to land easily," Benavidez said.
The way Benavidez broke Ramirez down was something else. He kept finding openings, landing combo after combo, pounding away until the crowd couldn’t help but react.
These two actually go way back. When Benavidez was 19, he sparred with Ramirez close to 300 rounds, apparently when Ramirez was prepping for Arthur Abraham in 2016. But real fights are a different world. Ramirez learned that the hard way Saturday night, leaving the ring with his right eye nearly swollen shut.
"I love Ramirez. We came up together," Benavidez said. "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'."
From the opening bell, Benavidez wouldn’t give Ramirez any space, picking his shots and then letting his speed loose, which has always set him apart. By the fourth, Benavidez started landing at will. He rocked Ramirez with an uppercut that put him on his heels, then pounced, firing off a flurry that forced Ramirez to take a knee.
Ramirez pulled himself together for the fifth round, but Benavidez just waited for his next chance. In the sixth, Benavidez battered him again with uppercuts; another brutal combo had Ramirez staggering, his eye swelling as the ref waved it off with a second left in the round.
With this win, Benavidez looks ready to stay at cruiser weight. Still, he used the moment to call out Canelo Alvarez, who was watching at ringside.
"I just want to give the fans what they want to see," Benavidez said. "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."
Sure, a fight with Alvarez would be huge. But honestly, after the way Benavidez dominated here, nobody knows if Canelo will actually want to risk it. Canelo fights at super middleweight, and Benavidez probably isn’t dropping back to 168 pounds after this.
Still, Benavidez took his swing, then made it clear he’s coming for Dmitry Bivol as well.
"Bivol is No. 1 on my hit list," Benavidez said. "Bivol is a great competitor, a great champion. But I'm a great champion too. I just want to test myself every single fight."
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
