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David Benavidez Delivers Spectacular Sixth
Round KO Of Gilberto Ramirez To Become
The Unified Cruiserweight World Champion
Photos: Cris Esquada - Golden Boy Promotions
Cinco de Mayo weekend, the Super Bowl of boxing, now belongs
to newly-crowned unified WBA, WBO Cruiserweight World
Champion, David “El Monstro” Benavidez.
In front of a raucous crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,
Benavidez dropped Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez twice, the second
of which put him away at 2:59 of the sixth round in the main
event of a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video
Saturday night.
Now a three-division world champion – and still the WBC
titleholder at light heavyweight -- Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs)
was simply splendid against a respected two-division world
champion. After a strong first round where Benavidez flashed
his trademark blinding combinations, he switched stances in
the second and was no less effective. When Ramirez (48-2, 30
KOs) led, he was countered. When he didn’t, Benavidez
punished him with stiff jabs. And on the occasions when
Ramirez pushed Benavidez toward the ropes, “El Monstro”
slipped, rolled and parried the incoming.
"I knew I wasn't going to be able to overpower him because
it was my first time coming up to 200lbs,” said Benavidez.
“So, I knew I had to use the gifts that God gave me: speed,
power, movement, punch selection and IQ. That's exactly what
I did.”
The one-sided action continued in the fourth. With seconds
left in the stanza, another blistering combination forced
Ramirez to take a knee. He slowly beat the count and was
saved a bell that rang soon as action resumed.
Ramirez showed gumption in the fifth, fighting back.
Benavidez was on another plane. Another series of flurries
hurt Ramirez again in the sixth. This time, Benavidez closed
the show, pounding away until Ramirez succumbed the canvas a
second time, this time for the full 10-count.
Benavidez, who moved up an astounding 25 pounds to challenge
Ramirez, has now staked his claim as not only arguably the
world’s best fighter, but a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.
"I just wanted to give [Ramirez] thanks for the
opportunity,” said Benavidez. “I love Zurdo Ramirez. You
know, we came up together. We came up sparring together. I
got him ready for his world championship fights. He got me
ready for my world championship fights. So, I just want to
say I love Zurdo Ramirez, but, you know, it is what it is in
here. There’s only one Monster.”
So, what is next for Benavidez? "I just want to give the
fans what they want to see. I see Canelo is in the building.
Let me just ask the fans this. Do you guys want to see
Canelo versus David Benavidez? Enough said. That means we
can’t leave that fight on the table. I have respect for
Canelo. He’s a great champion. I’m a great champion, too.
Let's do it.
"I'm still champion at 175. I’m champion at 175 and 200. So,
if they want to come get it at 175, let’s get it at 175.
Bivol is the number one on my hit list. He's a great
competitor, great champion, but I'm a good champion, too. I
just want to test myself every single fight.
"I don't care who it is, man. Nobody can fuck with me.”
Jaime Munguia is world champion once again. In a tremendous
co-main event, Munguia (46-2, 35 KOs) displayed his
versatility, overcoming a spirited effort from incumbent
Armando “Toro” Resendiz (16-3, 11 KOs) to capture the WBA
Super Middleweight World Title via 12-round unanimous
decision.
“I felt excellent throughout the fight. I listened to my
corner and that turned into great results for us,” said
Munguia.
“Everything went exactly as we had it contemplated before
the fight. I wanted to KO him, but everything was
outstanding.”
Resendiz was the aggressor for much of the fight, enjoying
pockets of success while Munguia found his footing. Once
Munguia did, he comfortably glided around the ring, using
footwork to keep the undaunted Resendiz off-balance and
punishing him with hard shots at range.
Munguia’s speed, power and creative combinations forced
Resendiz to be more selective with his own punches. The
fight heated up again in the 12th, with both guys letting
their hands go. First, it was Munguia hurting Resendiz with
a right hand and then Resendiz returning the favor moments
later as he landed multiple rights that forced Munguia
toward the ropes. The Resendiz rally was thwarted by the
final bell. Final scores read 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111.
“I had Resendiz against the ropes. I was on the verge of
knocking him down in that last round. We tried our best to
knock him out, but it wasn’t meant to be and the win was
ours,” said Munguia.
“It feels great to have this championship belt with me, but
this is just the beginning. I’m excited for what comes next.
We are ready for big challenges and great fights."
PPV action also saw Oscar Duarte (31-2-1, 23 KOs) winning a
hotly-contested 12-round split decision over Angel Fierro in
a super lightweight battle.
Fierro (23-5-2, 18 KOs) missed the 140-pound weight limit by
3.4 pounds on Friday, yet Duarte opted to fight him anyway.
The decision nearly proved to be a costly one in this
back-and-forth war.
"First of all, I want to thank everybody for being here and
everybody who supported me. And listen, I won this fight and
I made weight. He lost and he didn't make weight,” said
Duarte.
"This was a good fight. Fierro is a great fighter. I respect
him, but I won this fight. I went forward, pressed the
action, and landed the best shots in a competitive fight. I
always had the confidence that I was going to win. The fans
enjoyed the fight, and that motivates me even more to give
them another war next time.”
Duarte pressing forward in the early going, cutting off the
ring and investing heavily to the body, while Fierro relied
on movement, counters and sharp combinations.
The momentum began to shift in the sixth, when Fierro
stunned Duarte with a left hook to the chin. Duarte
occasionally countered with heavy shots, but Fierro was
landing the cleaner blows in most sequences and utilizing
effective footwork. The late swings in momentum kept the
outcome uncertain, as both fighters closed strong. One judge
scored it 116-112 for Fierro with the other two submitting
cards of 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Duarte.
“The crowd made itself heard and saw me win,” said Fierro.
“I believe the fight was mine, but I’m also happy with the
support from the crowd and for putting on a show.
“I showed the people a different Tashiro—one with a real
hunger to win. The people saw it; the judges didn’t. I want
a rematch. I’ll be back in the gym next week, more focused
than ever, to push forward with my team.”
In a thrilling battle between unbeaten super bantamweights,
Jose “Tito” Sanchez (16-0, 10 KOs) left with his “0” intact
by knocking out Jorge Chavez (15-1-1, 8 KOs) at 2:30 of the
10th round. It was a brilliant display by Sanchez, who
wouldn’t be denied against a Chavez many had pegged as a
future champion.
“I’m so excited,” Sanchez said afterward. “I showed everyone
what I was capable of on Cinco de Mayo weekend with the
Mexican style. I hope to get a title shot eventually.”
The momentum oscillated with each stanza, as Chavez refused
to take a backward step. That ultimately was his undoing,
with Sanchez picking him apart from the outside and stepping
in to land hard shots to the head and body.
In the 10th, Sanchez dropped Chavez twice to ultimately put
him away. At the time of the stoppage, Sanchez was up 86-85
on two cards with a third judge having it 86-85 for Chavez.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m glad the crowd enjoyed the
fight,” said Chavez. “At the end of the day, we are Mexicans
and we gave it everything we had. I feel like it was
everybody’s night, but mine.
“The best man won today. No excuses. Back to the drawing
board and I'll try to do better next time.
“Not much was different than when we fought as amateurs. We
displayed more power, and I had a high boxing IQ, picking my
shots.
“I hope to get a title shot, eventually."
Argentina’s Ismael Flores (18-1-1, 12 KOs) scored a major
upset in the pay-per-view opener, winning a dominant
10-round unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92 twice) over the
previously unbeaten Isaac Lucero. Flores led the action from
the opening bell, both outboxing and out brawling Lucero
(18-1, 14 KOs).
“This is beautiful. I have to thank God for all of this,
because I wouldn’t have fought with so much faith without
him,” said Flores.
“I was given two weeks’ notice for this fight, but it didn’t
matter. This was about many years of training hard, of
prayer and sleepless nights. This is the fruit of that
labor.”
Flores turned the heat up in the eighth round, wobbling
Lucero with a right hand. Lucero never quit trying but came
up short on this night.
“We knew Lucero just liked to come forward, very
one-dimensional,” said Flores. “So, I focused on being
patient and on my sideways movement.”
“My rival was the better man tonight. He came to steal the
night and came with everything,” Lucero acknowledged.
“I have no excuses for tonight. I had a great preparation
and I just fell short. The better man won. I am going to
jump back into the gym, and we will see what happens next.”
Prior to the pay-per-view, a three-fight FIRST ON PRIME
lineup streamed live and for free on Prime Video. In the
main event, rising super middleweight Daniel Blancas (15-0,
7 KOs) remained undefeated with a one-sided, 10-round
unanimous decision (100-90 and 99-91 twice), over Raul
Salomon (16-4-1, 14 KOs).
Plus, 17-year-old super lightweight phenom Dylan Capetillo
improved to 2-0 (1 KO) with a four-round unanimous decision
(39-37 x3) over James Pierce and in the opening bout of the
streaming presentation, Juan Carillo (15-0, 11 KOs) knocked
out Marlon Delgado (8-1, 6 KOs) at 2:59 of the fourth round.
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