Las Vegas — In a highly anticipated cruiserweight title clash at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, May 2, 2026, undefeated powerhouse David “El Monstruo” Benavidez (now 32-0, 26 KOs) delivered a dominant performance, knocking out unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) in the sixth round.
Benavidez, moving up from light heavyweight where he held the WBC title, made an immediate impact in his cruiserweight debut. The 31-0 fighter (pre-fight) overwhelmed the southpaw Ramirez with superior size, power, and aggression, turning what many expected to be a competitive unification-style bout into a one-sided beatdown.
Ramirez, a seasoned two-division champion with a lone prior loss to Dmitry Bivol, struggled to find range and absorb Benavidez’s heavy pressure. The Mexican-American contender repeatedly walked down the champion, landing clean combinations and body work that visibly slowed Zurdo. By the mid-rounds, Ramirez’s output dropped significantly as Benavidez’s power took its toll.
The end came in round six when Benavidez unleashed a monstrous combination that dropped Ramirez. The referee waved off the contest, awarding Benavidez the TKO victory and crowning him the new unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion. With this win, Benavidez joined an elite group as a three-division world titlist, having previously ruled at super middleweight and light heavyweight.
Post-fight, Benavidez wasted no time calling out bigger names, including a potential showdown with Canelo Alvarez.
The victory solidifies Benavidez’s status as a pound-for-pound contender and opens doors for major paydays at cruiserweight or potentially back down at light heavyweight. Boxing fans are already buzzing about future matchups against top cruiserweights like Jai Opetaia or high-profile cross-division bouts.
Official Result: David Benavidez def. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez by TKO (Round 6, 2026). This performance cements “El Monstruo” as one of the most exciting and dominant forces in boxing today.
Muki is a long time boxing fan and enjoys Mixed Martial Arts. He has been writing boxing articles since he was a teen and his favorite fighters of the past are Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Prince Naseem Hamed. Favorite MMA fighters are Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko.