David Benavidez may be the new face of Mexican boxing.
On Saturday night, Benavidez (32-0) faced off against Gilberto “Zurdo” Rodriguez (48-2) for his unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. It was Benavidez’s first fight up at cruiserweight, and of extra significance as the headliner for Cinco de Mayo fight weekend, and “The Mexican Monster” made the most of the big moment, demolishing Zurdo en route to a sixth-round knockout.
Benavidez weighed in well under the 200-pound cruiserweight limit for
this fight, and looked noticeably smaller than Zurdo to start the bout, but that ended up mattering little once the bell rang. Ramirez simply had no answer for the blistering hand speed of Benavidez, who, on several occasions, hit Zurdo with eight or more lightning-fast punches in combination. Benavidez’s power also carried up to cruiserweight, as he stunned Zurdo on several occasions.
Things looked like they might be over in the fourth round, when Benavidez hammered Ramirez with heavy shots, forcing the champion to take a knee with just seconds left in the round. Zurdo beat the count and proved his championship mettle, slugging it out with Benavidez in the fifth and holding his own. That was just a short reprieve, though, as in the sixth, Benavidez continued to chop away, and near the end of the round, another lightning combination, plus some heavy hooks, appeared to damage Zurdo’s already busted right eye, causing it to swell significantly. Zurdo took a knee, and when the ref approached, shook him off, giving Benavidez the win.
Ramirez went to the hospital immediately after the bout.
Benavidez, meanwhile, celebrated his big win by once again calling for a fight that has long eluded him: Canelo Alvarez. For years, Benavidez has chased a fight with Canelo, the longtime face of Mexican boxing, but it never came to fruition. Alvarez was ringside for the action on Saturday, supporting his friend Jaime Munguia, who won in the co-main event, and Benavidez took the opportunity to try once more for the fight fans have wanted for a long time.
“I just want to give the fans what they want to see,” Benavidez said during his post-fight interview. “I’ve seen Canelo in the building. Let me just ask the fans this: Do you guys want to see Canelo vs. David Benavidez? [Crowd roars approval] Enough said. We can’t leave that fight on the table. I have respect for Canelo, who is a great champion, but I’m a great champion, too. Let’s do it! …
“I’m still champion at 175. I’m champion at 200 and 175. So, if they want to come get it at 175, let’s get it at 175!”
Check out the full results for Benavidez vs. Zurdo below.
David Benavidez def. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez via KO — 2:59, Round 6
Jaime Munguia def. Armando Resendiz via unanimous decision (117-111, 119-109, 120-108)
Oscar Duarte def. Angel Fierro via split decision (115-113, 112-116, 116-112)
Tito Sanchez def. Jorge Chavez via TKO — 2:30, Round 10
Ismael Flores def. Isaac Lucero via unanimous decision (98-92, 98-92, 99-91)
Daniel Blancas def. Raul Soloman via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-1, 100-90)
Dylan Capetillo def. James Pierce via unanimous decision (39-37 x3)
Juan Carrillo def. Marlon Delgado via KO (body shot) — 2:59, Round 4.
