There is a little-over two weeks until the WBA and WBO cruiserweight world title between defending champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and David ‘The Monster’ Benavidez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during the Cinco de Mayo weekend on May 3.
The all-Latino showdown offers some serious intrigue as the pair are well known to each other, having shared many sparring sessions. Benavidez will also be making his debut at 200 pounds following a short stint at light heavyweight.
Former WBC light heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk has been drafted in as sparring partner by Ramirez ahead of May 3, who has used the Ukrainian’s services on multiple occasions ahead of big fights. Gvozdyk also went a full 12 rounds with Benavidez just 22 months ago at light heavyweight, losing by unanimous decision. With that being the case, Boxing Social caught up with Gvozdyk to get his inside expertise on Ramirez vs Benavidez.
“When I compare sparring with Gilberto and fighting Benavidez, it was harder in there against Benavidez,” Gvozdyk exclusively told Boxing Social. “But styles make fights, and Benavidez is moving up in weight. So, I don’t know what is going to happen, we will see. It’s a good fight. Both of them can punch, but I cannot call who the bigger puncher is, really. The thing is that compared to Artur Beterbiev none of them really punch that hard. I think in this aspect they are kind of both even. They can both punch and their power is respectable, but I wouldn’t say that both are big punchers.”
Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) has campaigned for the vast majority of his career at super middleweight, his most recent outing at 168 pounds coming just four fights ago in a sixth-round retirement of Demetrius Andrade in November 2023. The 29-year-old moved swiftly up to light heavyweight to become a two-weight world champion, defeating Gvozdyk, David Morrell and Anthony Yarde at 175 pounds. After failing to nail down either Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev, Benavidez has jumped up a steep 33 pounds in less than three years.
Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) also has a storied history at super middleweight, becoming the first Mexican to win a world title at 168 pounds when claiming the WBO belt against Arthur Abraham in 2016. In recent times the 34-year-old hit the ground running at 200 pounds, defeating WBA champion Arsen Goulamirian over the distance in his cruiserweight debut. Ramirez would unify the division in his next bout, defeating WBO title holder Chris Billam-Smith by unanimous decision just over six months later.
“It doesn’t really matter how much power Benavidez carries up when he moves up in weight, because he is not really winning because of his power,” Gvozdyk explained. “Let’s imagine if Beterbiev moved up to cruiserweight and then to heavyweight, you would ask, how much of his power is going to be effective for those heavyweight guys? I would say his power would be questionable. But Benavidez has been winning his fights not because of his power. It’s because of his skills, because of his defense and because of his relentless pressure. This is how he wins his fights. Power is in the last place.
“I think with him moving up, he will get even stronger. He’s not slowing down and he’s kept his speed. This is how he will win the fight, with pressure. A lot of the other guys are getting slower at cruiserweight, which will make it even easier for him, I feel.”
Ramirez vs Benavidez will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video pay-per-view courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions.
