Benavidez Stops Ramirez for Cruiserweight Titles

LAS VEGAS — David Benavidez captured the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles with a dominant sixth-round stoppage of Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez on May 2 at T-Mobile Arena, marking his first victory in the 200-pound division and positioning him as a three-weight world champion.

The 29-year-old American, known as "The Mexican Monster," overwhelmed the bigger Ramirez with relentless pressure and power punches, prompting the referee to halt the bout at 2:04 of the round. Benavidez, who previously held titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight, improved to 29-0 with 24 knockouts. The win drew praise from Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., who embraced Benavidez ringside in a moment captured on social media.

Fresh off the victory, Benavidez has targeted elite opponents, including a light heavyweight unification clash with Dmitry Bivol, a cruiserweight bout against Jai Opetaia, a superfight with Canelo Alvarez, and even a potential heavyweight matchup with Oleksandr Usyk. Talks for Benavidez versus Bivol, the WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion, are underway but have hit financial snags, according to boxing reporter Fernando Sabatini. Bivol's side is reportedly...