David Benavídez Moves Up in Weight to Challenge “Zurdo” Ramírez

Undefeated two-division world champion David “Red Flag” Benavídez and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez—the first Mexican cruiserweight world champion in history—faced off for the first time during a press conference in Las Vegas. The event officially announced their showdown on Saturday, May 2, as part of the prestigious Cinco de Mayo weekend. The bout will headline a PBC Pay-Per-View event, available via Prime Video, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Benavídez vs. Zurdo marks an unprecedented all-Mexican clash during one of boxing’s most celebrated weekends, featuring two fighters with a combined record of 79-1 with 55 KOs. Both camps reflected on the intense sparring sessions they shared in the past, promising that the action on May 2 will surpass even those legendary gym wars.

Key Quotes from the Press Conference:
DAVID BENAVÍDEZ “This is something I’ve been working toward for a long time. We’ve had so many great sparring sessions, and I told Zurdo back then that one day we’d have to do this on Pay-Per-View. Now, we are fighting for two titles on May 2, and I am deeply grateful.
“I feel I am on the verge of becoming the face of boxing. If Zurdo wins, his value skyrockets. There is greatness at the other end of that tunnel for both of us, so we are going to show up extremely prepared.

“Throughout the history of Cinco de Mayo fights, we’ve witnessed tremendous fighters like Oscar (De La Hoya) and (Julio César) Chávez. Not just great fights, but wars—because they never took easy fights. That is exactly what we are doing. We are two Mexican warriors going for the title.
“I’m going in there to leave it all in the ring. I want to earn the respect of the fans, go in there, and deliver a classic. I want to blaze my own trail and achieve greatness.”

GILBERTO “ZURDO” RAMÍREZ “I am very happy to be here to give you a great fight on May 2. Don’t miss this one. I know Team Benavídez; they actually helped me a lot for my first world title fight. It’s going to be an exciting battle, but at the end of the day, the titles stay with Zurdo.
“I knew this would happen eventually. It’s a dream come true. Now is the right time at 200 pounds. We’re going to be comfortable and at our very best.
“He is the ‘Monster.’ He’s different; he used to overwhelm a lot of sparring partners. But now we are here—two warriors making history. I want to fight the best, and he is one of them. I just want to give the fans who love this sport the best fights possible.”