David Benavidez names what he won’t do next

On May 2, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, David Benavidez defeated Gilberto Ramirez in the headline fight of a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video and DAZN. The event was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Sampson Boxing in association with TGB Promotions. Victory for Benavidez saw him become the unified WBO/WBA cruiserweight champion. During the post-fight press conference, El Monstruo made it clear what he won’t be doing next.

David Benavidez dominates Gilberto Zurdo Ramirez

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) quickly got into his stride, showcasing his quick hand speed. Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) tried to punch with the challenger, but Benavidez was just too quick for Zurdo. Benavidez mixed his shots impressively, landing hooks, uppercuts, and straight shots. Ramirez was visibly rocked in the fourth by a series of hooks. Another barrage of punches soon followed, and a right uppercut forced the champion to take a knee.

The swelling around Ramirez’s eye continued to hamper his efforts. Benavidez outpunched the champion throughout. A series of hurtful-looking hooks landed in round six, forcing him to take another knee. As the referee administered the count, Ramirez appeared to shake his head, and subsequently did not make the count. What a performance from El Monstruo! He is now the new WBA and WBO cruiserweight world champion. He is also the reigning WBC light heavyweight world champion. Attention quickly turned to who would face Benavidez next, and the new unified champion addressed a potential showdown with Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) in the post-fight presser.

David Benavidez reveals what he won’t do

After his destructive win over Gilberto Ramirez, David Benavidez was asked in the post-fight press conference how important it is for him to face Jai Opetaia, without any potential red tape in the way:

“I mean, I think that’s the biggest fight in the world, especially at this weight division, and that’s definitely a fight I want. Like I said, I’m not scared of nobody. This is Monstruo’s world. And if he wants to get that fight, we can get that fight.

“I don’t know why he went to Zuffa. We could have made that fight right after this one. But now, I don’t know if he got stripped by the IBF, or what it is. I’m not going to go there and fight for a Zuffa title. I think that would be a great fight to make in the future. And I mean, I respect Jai Opetaia a lot. He’s a great fighter, and I think he has to come back over here to make these fights happen, because we can’t make no fights in Zuffa.”

When asked if fighters are losing their power signing for Zuffa, Benavidez said: “I think they definitely are losing their power. I mean, it’s just a lot of politics in that. I think Dana White has showed that he doesnt want to do fights with PBC, DAZN. I don’t want to sound like I’m disrespecting him, but it’s just what it looks like from the outside. If we can come to an agreement and make a big fight, let’s do it.”