David Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) is going up in weight, rather significantly, to face Gilberto Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) on Saturday. But does this weight jump and size difference scare him? Benavidez answers with a resounding no.
In conversation with Uncrowned, Benavidez admitted that when it comes to going up in weight, he isn’t letting his opponent’s size faze him one bit.
“When it comes to size, to be honest, there is more danger because I’m moving up in weight, but size doesn’t scare me. My plan is always the same. My defense has to be impeccable, my movement has to be impeccable, everything has to be good. There is always danger anytime you are in the ring,” he said. “I know this is a big jump in weight for me, and there is always a lot of danger that is present, but at the end of the day, I’m the one who poses more danger. If there is anyone who is in danger, that’s the opponent standing in front of me.”
For Saturday’s fight, Benavidez is making a significant jump up to cruiserweight (200 lbs) to face Ramirez, which is a big step considering he’s fought most of his career at 168 and only recently at 175, so you’re looking at roughly a 25-pound move from light heavyweight. The key difference from their old sparring days is that Ramirez is now a natural cruiserweight, fully settled at the weight, while this is Benavidez’s debut there.
While Benavidez would arguably be favored at 175, at cruiserweight, this becomes a much more even, high-risk fight where Ramirez might have the edge on paper. However, Benavidez has the style to make it chaotic and potentially take over late.
“I know Ramirez is a good fighter, but look what I have done, and the confidence I have. Yeah, I’m going up in weight, but that means everything about me will be different and better. I always say no one has seen the best of me yet,” he said. “I become that much more dangerous the heavier I am.”
“It’s A Mistake”
Malik Scott, one of Ramirez’s trainers. However, feels like Benavidez and his team were taking Ramirez a little too lightly. In fact, he even warned them against making that “mistake”.
“I’m telling you it’s a mistake everyone in boxing is making. ‘Zurdo’ is going to be a problem for David. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again, ‘Zurdo’ is the best opponent that David has ever faced. He’s rangy, a 6-foot-3 southpaw, who can move. The only person who beat him was Bivol, one of the best in the whole world. That tells how good you have to be to beat him,” he said.
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