Before Saturday night, Mexican-American boxer David Benavidez had won titles at super middleweight (168 pounds) and light heavyweight (175 pounds), mowing down his opponents without taking a loss. This past weekend at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 29-year-old Phoenix, Arizona, native moved up to cruiserweight and challenged unified champion Gilberto Ramirez, a 34-year-old ring veteran from Mazatlán, Mexico.
Adding to the pressure, he was fighting during Cinco de Mayo weekend, a time when some of the greatest Mexican pugilists, such as Julio César Chávez, Oscar De La Hoya, and Canelo Álvarez, have been the headliners on major fight cards. Benavidez embraced upholding the legacy. Led to the ring by former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who nicknamed him the Mexican Monster, Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) dropped Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) in the fourth round and put him down for good in the sixth round to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. This placed Benavidez by himself as the first ever to win titles at super middleweight, light heavyweight, and cruiserweight.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to overpower him because it was my first time coming up to 200 pounds,” Benavidez said after his victory. “I knew I had to use the gifts that God gave me: speed, power, movement, punch selection, and IQ. That’s exactly what I did.” What’s next for Benavidez, who still holds the WBA and WBC light heavyweight titles? “I’m still champion at 175, I’m champion at 175 and 200, so, if they want to come get it at 175, let’s get it at 175,” he said. “(Unified light heavyweight champion Dmitry) Bivol is the number one on my hit list. He’s a great competitor, great champion, but I’m a good champion, too. I just want to test myself every single fight.”
This Saturday, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Dominican UFC star Waldo Cortes-Acosta will battle Alexander Volkov in the co-main event at UFC 328. A former minor league pitcher (2010–2012) with the Dominican Summer League Reds (an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds), Cortes-Acosta defeated MMA legend Derrick Lewis earlier this year. The main event features undefeated UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev going up against former titleholder Sean Strickland. Holding the card in Newark has economic benefits for the city — last June, UFC 316, also held at the Prudential Center, generated approximately $27 million for New Jersey’s most populated locale, which has an estimated 333,500 residents. “Newark has established itself as a premier venue city for UFC worldwide events, and we are ready to welcome the world to this year’s championship contest,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement. “It’s our honor to be able to offer fight fans the full array of Newark’s diverse culture … and we are privileged to serve as a world-class destination for everyone who travels here.”
