Boxing
Does Zurdo have edge over Benavidez to deny three-weight glory?
Benavidez vs. Zurdo: Watch on DAZN PPV - Saturday
Now, they fight with everything on the line, as Benavidez challenges for Ramirez’ WBA and WBO unified cruiserweight world titles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and live on DAZN PPV and Ultimate Tier, on Saturday night.
Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) enters this bout after dominating David Morrell in a competitive fight in February 2025, before beating Anthony Yarde to a bloody pulp in November.
‘The Mexican Monster’ will be making his cruiserweight debut against a proven entity in the division in Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) who outpointed Yuniel Dorticos last June in his sole action of 2025.
 Intriguing styles make for classic between Benavidez and Zurdo
Watch: Tactical breakdown of both fighters
Benavidez vs. Zurdo watch on DAZN PPV or Ultimate Tier - Buy here
Will Benavidez become a three-division ruler by blasting Ramirez? Or will ‘Zurdo’ prove too durable for even a buzzsaw like ‘The Mexican Monster’ in a successful championship defense? DAZN News examines who has the edge between these heavy hitters entering this Cinco de Mayo weekend clash.
Boxing Styles
David Benavidez doesn’t just defeat opponents; he walks them down, bludgeoning and demoralizing them in the process. ‘The Mexican Monster’ is every bit as terrifying as his billing, destructively chewing through fighters with a relentless barrage of punches.
Whether it's his looping hooks, straight shots, uppercuts or body punches, Benavidez can alternate between his left and right side with nothing but bad intentions.
That’s the aggressive style that Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will have to contend with, though the unified cruiserweight world champion has plenty of strong traits himself. While Ramirez is capable of driving his punch volume way up — like Benavidez — the southpaw also shows success with pointed shot selection.
He effectively digs to the body and upstairs with uppercuts. Plus, he’s extremely durable, having never been stopped — let alone even knocked down.
If there’s a push in this matchup, it could be that Ramirez has a tendency to be a bit of a stationary target at times, despite his smooth footwork for a man his size. Benavidez should feast inside, cranking his output up to the max. That and his hand speed gives ‘El Monstro’ the edge here.
Edge: Benavidez
Power
Both Benavidez and Ramirez tout potent punching power, though the former has a killer instinct and often overwhelms opponents with a seemingly endless fighting flow of punches.
Ramirez seems more content winning via points. His hand has been raised in four straight unanimous decisions entering this bout.
All being said, Benavidez’ incessant volume and hand speed makes his punching power all the more of a threat. After all, he has an 80 percent knockout rate for a reason.
Edge: Benavidez
Mental Warfare
One could argue that Zurdo has advantages heading into this fight, considering he’s the naturally larger man and the defending unified cruiserweight world champion who is a proven force in the division.
Then again, Benavidez’s automatic firing style is a giant mental hurdle to prepare for as Ramirez definitely knows, having a storied sparring history with his fellow Mexican.
Despite being the champion, Ramirez enters the bout installed as the underdog by oddsmakers. If he is going to retain his cruiserweight titles, ‘Zurdo’ is going to have to fight to keep them. Handing a nonstop puncher like Benavidez his first loss will be a tall task.
Edge: Benavidez
Who has the edge in Benavidez vs. Ramirez?
With each fight that passes, Benavidez showcases why Mike Tyson nicknamed him ‘The Mexican Monster.’ In short, Benavidez’ ability to drown out fighters is the kind of thing nightmares are made of. It is why DAZN News is giving him the 3-0 edge in what figures to be an all-action mega fight.
Benavidez vs. Zurdo on DAZN PPV
Watch David Benavidez versus Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez on DAZN PPV this Saturday, May 2. Buy as a one-off PPV or get it included with the DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription, which also includes the Wardley vs. Dubois (May 9), Usyk vs. Verhoeven (May 23), Fury vs. Hall (June 13) and Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPVs without any extra one-off costs.
For pricing, more information, and to sign up to watch, click here
