5 Burning Questions for Benavidez-Zurdo
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David Benavidez isn’t waiting around anymore, and that might be the most important storyline in boxing right now. As “The Mexican Monster” eyes a bold move up to cruiserweight for a clash with Gilberto Ramirez, the ripple effects are being felt across multiple divisions.
From stalled superfights with Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, to long-standing frustrations surrounding Canelo Alvarez, Benavidez is carving his own path, whether the rest of the division is ready or not.
But with risk comes questions. Is this a legacy-defining leap or a dangerous detour? Can Zurdo’s size and experience disrupt Benavidez’s relentless pressure? And what does a Cinco de Mayo weekend showcase mean for his star power in a shifting boxing landscape?
We ask 5 Burning Questions ahead of Benavidez-Zurdo:
#1. How do you feel about Benavidez moving to cruiserweight before facing Beterbiev or Bivol at 175 pounds?
Lee: I think Benavidez is doing what’s best for his career. Instead of waiting on a fight with Canelo, he stayed active and moved up to 175. And now he’s doing it again by jumping to cruiserweight rather than waiting on Bivol or Beterbiev.
Those fights are still there; they might just come later than fans want. At the end of the day, Benavidez wants to fight. But, he’s also a guy many of the top names continue to avoid.
Evan: I’m in complete lockstep with Lee on this one. I feel it’s Benavidez being tired of waiting on opponents to come to him, and taking his career into his own hands. Instead of remaining stagnant, he’s chosen to not allow any other fighter dictate his decision making.
Bivol is facing IBF mandatory challenger, Michael Eifert on May 30th. Beterbiev is continuing to seemingly stall for the trilogy with Dmitry. So I think David wasn’t content just sitting around, staying inactive while those two sort their business out.
He’s already been through this with Canelo, where a prominent name within his division constantly avoided fighting him. Since both Beterbiev and Bivol made no effort to push to face David, he went with the opportunity to take on Zurdo Ramirez to become a world champion in a third weight class.
Plus, Eddie Hearn has already stated he’s in preliminary talks with Turki Alalshikh to make the Benavidez-Bivol matchup happen. So, there’s a chance the Mexican Monster will be able to have his cake and eat it too after all.
#2. What kind of an actual challenge and resistance do you think Zurdo Ramirez can provide to Benavidez?
Lee: Zurdo’s size might give Benavidez problems in the early rounds. He will need to lean on him, and more importantly, let Benavidez feel his power. Benavidez is known for his constant forward pressure and combo punching. But, Zurdo needs to display a defensive prowess and not get caught on the ropes.
All that being said, I expect “El Monstro” to win this fight and make it look easy. Zurdo is a smart fighter who knows how to block and slip shots while showcasing his offense in return. I don’t think he will be able to hurt or back Benavidez up, which should prove to be problematic for the champ.
Evan: I think Zurdo’s being a bit slept on by the boxing community at large, as to the kind of challenge he poses to Benavidez. It’s going to be interesting to see how David deals with his size, and if his power carries up in any significant way at cruiserweight.
Ramírez has good offensive firepower, can be crafty, and is very durable too. Those traits I believe will allow him to at least make this fight competitive in spots. I expect Zurdo to provide more resistance than fighters like Anthony Yarde, David Lemieux, and Demetrius Andrade did to Benavidez.
However, I don’t think Ramírez will be as game as David Morrell Jr. or Caleb Plant were in their outings against him. Ultimately, I feel he will eventually be overwhelmed by David’s superior speed, relentless pace, and the torrential downpour of his pulverizing offensive attack.
#3. What are the chances this can turn into an instant classic Mexican showdown?
Lee: I will keep this short. There is no way this fight becomes an instant classic. Like I said before, I don’t think Zurdo can hurt or dish out enough offense that will keep Benavidez at bay. We also have to keep in mind, there is something in Zurdo’s game that made Benavidez jump at this fight. So whatever he has spotted ,he feels he can exploit.
This fight most likely will go to the judges, but it won’t be close. I think there will be spots in the fight where we will get some action and some exchanges. However, I see that happening in the earlier rounds. The longer the fight goes, Benavidez will show he is the better fighter.
Evan: This fight might be able to create some momentary magic of the aforementioned list of classic scraps. But I agree with Lee’s sentiments, that I just don’t buy that Zurdo has the capability or skills to bring that out of Benavidez. I’m not sure he has the power to hurt David and keep him at bay enough to create openings for his own offense to shine.
With that being said, I do believe this will be very entertaining for as long as it lasts, and please both the Mexican fan base and boxing heads overall. Even if it ends up being mostly one-way traffic and a showcase for Benavidez, I still think this should be extremely fun to watch regardless.
#4. How much does a big win here boost Benavidez’s star power on a major Cinco de Mayo weekend?
Lee: I don’t see his star power increasing with a win. He is already a superstar in the sport. His star power may not increase, but his belt count will go up. He is currently the WBC light heavyweight champion. If he wins, he will add the WBO and WBA cruiserweight world titles.
A loss could hurt depending on how it happens. A KO would be damaging, but a decision loss less so. Moving up to face a bigger opponent offers some leeway. Even in defeat, he’d still be seen as a star, if not a superstar.
Evan: I’ve got a different perspective on this one. I think Benavidez’s star power and public profile can definitely increase with a victory over Zurdo. The timing couldn’t be better for him to elevate his status even more with American fans. Especially being featured on Cinco De Mayo weekend, which has historically been a premiere spot on the boxing calendar.
Fighters like Canelo Alvarez, and Oscar De La Hoya grew their stardom from taking big fights in this same position. The showdown between Mayweather and Pacquiao also took place back in 2015 during this holiday weekend.
With Canelo aging and continuing to sit on the sidelines to recover from his dominant loss at the hands of Terence Crawford, Bud himself now retired, and Gervonta Davis’ self inflicted absence from the sport due to legal troubles, Benavidez feels like the perfect candidate to take over the mantle they’ve left vacated.
This is a prime chance for him to claim the throne as boxing’s next star in America. It’s also an opportunity to become a household name in the Latino/Mexican market.
#5. Now that he’s signed with Zuffa Boxing, what is the likelihood we’ll ever see the winner go up against Jai Opetaia?
Lee: One thing about Dana White, he’s all about big fights, and Benavidez vs. Opetaia is exactly that. Two elite guys, both willing to fight the best, and it’s the kind of matchup that’d have Evan jumping through the ceiling the second it’s announced.
Now let me be Negative Ned for a second. Benavidez’s next move is likely Bivol as he chases undisputed at 175. He’s already said his plan is to move up, grab titles, then come back down and make that fight even bigger. So yeah, I think we get Benavidez vs. Opetaia…just not yet. More like late 2027.
Evan: We’ve been doing this for so long now that Lee knows me well. For my money, Benavidez-Opetaia is one of the most intriguing, exciting, and flat out best fights you could possibly make in the sport currently. It’s been sort of a dream matchup for me for a while now and I would just love to see it come to fruition at some point in the not so distant future.
Unfortunately though, I do agree that it’s not likely to happen anytime soon. I think Opetaia signing with Zuffa Boxing is actually an enormous obstacle in the way and detrimental to his chances of facing Benavidez within the next year or so.
The combination of Zuffa’s restrictive contracts and David’s lack of interest in probably ever joining that promotion, will be too much red tape to get by. Jai essentially took himself out of the running for big fights by willingly signing his rights away to the Dana White led boxing startup.
Additionally as Lee brought up too, both Benavidez and Eddie Hearn have foreshadowed that they’re pursuing the Bivol matchup next. So I would expect that to take priority for The Mexican Monster, over a potential bout with the undefeated Samoan KO artist.
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