Overview
- Benavidez, fighting Saturday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, dropped Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in rounds four and six before a stoppage at 2:59 of the sixth.
- With the win, Benavidez became the unified WBA/WBO champion at 200 pounds and the first boxer to capture world titles at 168, 175 and 200, improving to 32-0 with 26 KOs.
- Ramirez was taken to a hospital for evaluation of a badly swollen right eye, and a Golden Boy spokesperson said he was in good spirits with no fracture determined at the time.
- After the fight, Benavidez called out Canelo Álvarez and named Dmitry Bivol as his top target, though Canelo is expected to fight Christian Mbilli in September and Bivol defends May 30 against Michael Eifert.
- On the same card, Jaime Munguía won the WBA super middleweight title from Armando Reséndiz by wide decision, adding star power to a Cinco de Mayo weekend that boosted Benavidez’s market profile.