David Benavidez says the reason he’s fighting Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez next comes down to timing, not preference, because the fight he wanted with Dmitry Bivol wasn’t available and he wasn’t willing to sit on the sidelines.
Benavidez explained that he was interested in facing Bivol at light heavyweight, but with Bivol planning a tune-up, he chose not to wait and instead moved forward with a title fight at cruiserweight. Rather than stay at 175 and defend his belt in what he described as a “regular fight,” he saw the Ramirez bout as a better use of his time.
Benavidez, 29, now must win his fight against WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Ramirez on May 2, and hope that Bivol doesn’t get beaten in his title defense against #1 IBF contender Michael Eifert. It would be far less appealing to fans to watch Benavidez face Eifert for the IBF, WBA, and WBO belts than to watch Bivol.
“My main focus is to make history, become one of the greatest of all time, and also put on the biggest fights available,” Benavidez said. “I’m coming back to light heavyweight, you know, I don’t want anybody to get it wrong that I’m staying at cruiserweight. Obviously if good opportunities present itself then we’ll stay here a little bit longer but I thought just because, Dmitry Bivol, he’s going to do a tune up fight, and for me just waiting around and defending my title and getting a regular fight, I thought it would be a good idea to go up and challenge Zurdo Ramirez for his two titles.”
The 28-year-old made it clear the move up in weight isn’t a long-term change, but a decision tied to what was available at the moment. His focus remains on returning to light heavyweight, where he continues to target fights with Bivol and Artur Beterbiev once those options open up.
Benavidez is choosing activity over waiting, taking a fight that offers immediate stakes rather than staying in place for a matchup that isn’t ready yet.
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Last Updated on 2026/03/18 at 6:29 PM
