Ahead of his cruiserweight debut, David Benavidez has compared himself to former three-weight world champion James Toney.
Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs), much like Toney, claimed world title status at super middleweight (although Toney picked up his first world title at middleweight) ahead of testing himself at the hard hitting limit of 200 pounds.
On Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Benavidez makes his opening appearance at cruiserweight against WBA and WBO world champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
“Continuing to move up and challenge world champions shows everyone that I’m serious about what I do, and that I believe in my skills 100 percent,” Benavidez said in a statement sent to Boxing Social. “Making more history on May 2 would mean the world to me. At this point in my life, I just want to reach greatness. Winning these titles will definitely put me back in position to continue to push for more greatness. I’m just really happy with where I’m at in my career, and with all the risks I’m taking, because I believe it will all pay off when my career is all said and done.”
Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) also started his ascendancy in boxing by winning the WBO super middleweight belt when defeating Arthur Abraham in 2016. The 34 year old Mexican defeated Arsen Goulamirian to snatch the WBA belt two years ago, unifying the division against Chris Billam-Smith in his second fight at the weight limit.
“I feel like this weight is definitely gonna help me,” Benavidez added. “Once you get to this weight, the punches are bigger. When you combine that power with my speed, I bring something to the cruiserweight division that hasn’t been seen since James Toney. My speed is superb and it’s just on a different level. This is gonna be the best David Benavidez that you see.”
The current WBC light heavyweight champion has suggested that he’s still going to campaign at 175 pounds, but plans to make a huge impact on weight class splintered by Jai Opetaia being stripped of his IBF title while making a debut for Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
“My training camp hasn’t really changed,” Benavidez explained. “But this is the most stress-free I’ve ever been,” said Benavidez. “Training is always gonna be hard, but I got to the weight a week ago already. I’ve never been in a position where I don’t have to worry about the weight, and that’s gonna make me more dangerous. When you cut weight you’re running like seven miles every single day. Right now I don’t have to run at all. I don’t have to deplete myself, and I can use that extra energy in the fight.”
Toney, who amassed an incredible record of 77-10-3 (47 KOs), first made the leap to cruiserweight while the weight class was in its relative infancy against Mike McCallum in 1997. Toney scored a unanimous-decision for the lesser-known WBU (1995-2004 version) following a second loss to Montell Griffin at light heavyweight. He would jump back down to lose to Drake Thadzi by majority-decision less than three months later. However, Toney would quickly become a fixture at 200 pounds.
Toney would stay put at cruiserweight for the next eleven fights, with one bout creeping over at 217 pounds, until he defeated Vassiliy Jirov for the IBF world cruiserweight championship. Toney would hang at heavyweight for the next nine years. However, the now veteran was tempted into a WBA interim title fight with Denis Lebedev in Moscow, Russia. The American slickster would lose a lopsided unanimous decision before moving back to heavyweight to see out his career.
