David Benavidez, left, faces off with WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez. Steven Marcus/ The Sun via AP The WBA and WBO unified cruiserweight titles are on the line as David Benavidez and Gilbert “Zurdo” Ramirez are set to clash Saturday evening at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Benavidez makes the jump from light heavyweight by 25 pounds, with hopes of becoming a three-division champion and amplifying his bid for a future shot against Canelo Alvarez.
But before he gets there, Ramirez, a two-division world champion himself, stands in the way of “The Mexican Monster.”
Benavidez is the clear favorite in the eyes of oddsmakers, listed at -550 on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Ramirez is a significant underdog at +400.
The preliminary part of the card begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on YouTube, with the main card moving to Amazon Prime Video and DAZN at 8 p.m. ET.
Benavidez and Ramirez are expected to make their ring walks around 11:20 p.m. ET, subject to the duration of the undercard fights.
Boxer David Benavidez, left, applauds as WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez holds up his title belts during a ceremonial weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena. AP David Benavidez vs. Gilbert Ramirez prediction, best bets Cinco De Mayo weekend isn’t complete without a marquee fight, and the winner could emerge as a new boxing star.
These two have faced off before in an intense sparring session, becoming the talk of pre-fight camps.
Benavidez is experienced in changing weight classes. Four years ago, a third-round TKO over David Lemieux made him the interim WBC super middleweight champion.
After defending his title twice at 168 pounds against Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, he moved to 175 pounds in June 2024, winning the WBC interim light heavyweight title from Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Ranked No. 7 pound-for-pound, he easily defeated David Morrell and scored a seventh-round TKO of Anthony Yarde in 2025, almost moving him to cruiserweight, where he faces his biggest challenge yet against Ramirez.
“Zurdo” opened his career with an impressive 44-0 start, before falling to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.
Like Benavidez, he has experience across multiple weight classes, capturing the WBO super middleweight title a decade ago and, most recently, both unified cruiserweight titles in 2025 with wins over Arsen Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith.
His competition was not as stiff, though, and I think Benavidez has all the tools to capture this one.
Ramirez is seasoned but doesn’t offer much resistance and doesn’t wow you with overwhelming power, either.
The five-year age difference is also in Benavidez’s favor; his impactful combinations and lethal power, now at the prime of his career and at his heaviest in-ring weight, are a scary thought.
The Play: Benavidez to win by points or decision (-145, FanDuel) | Ramirez to be knocked down, Yes (+180, DraftKings)
Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
