David Benavidez Stops Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in Sixth Round to Capture Unified Cruiserweight Titles
Benavidez drops Ramirez twice, forcing a sixth-round stoppage in a dominant cruiserweight debut at T-Mobile Arena.
LAS VEGAS – David Benavidez made a thunderous statement in his first fight at cruiserweight, defeating Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez via technical knockout at 2:59 of the sixth round on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena. With the victory, Benavidez captured the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight championships.
Benavidez (32-0, 25 KOs) weighed in under the 200-pound cruiserweight limit and appeared smaller than Ramirez but displayed superior hand speed throughout the bout. The action intensified in the fourth round when Benavidez landed a series of punches that forced Ramirez to take a knee. Ramirez beat the referee's count, but the momentum had clearly shifted.
In the decisive sixth round, a combination of punches caused significant swelling near Ramirez's right eye. He took a knee and did not continue, prompting the referee to wave off the fight. Following the bout, Ramirez was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
In his post-fight interview, Benavidez directly called out Canelo Alvarez, who was present at the event. Benavidez stated that he currently holds titles at both 175 pounds and 200 pounds and expressed willingness to fight Alvarez at 175 pounds.
Fighter Background
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Gilberto Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs): Became a two-division champion by defeating Arsen Goulamirian by decision in March 2024 for the WBA cruiserweight title. He later added the WBO belt by defeating Chris Billam-Smith. His previous loss was to Dmitry Bivol in November 2022 for the WBA light heavyweight title. He had won four consecutive fights prior to this bout, including a June 2024 victory over Yuniel Dorticos.
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David Benavidez (32-0, 25 KOs): Entered the fight as the WBC light heavyweight champion, having been upgraded from interim status after defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the interim title. He formerly held the WBC super middleweight title twice (2017-2020). His most recent fight prior to this bout was a stoppage win over Anthony Yarde in November 2024 in Riyadh.
Event Schedule
The main card began at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video and DAZN pay-per-view, with preliminary bouts starting at 5:30 p.m. ET. The main event ring walks occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET.