Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya says he’s interested in a fight between unified two-belt cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez against David Benavidez in 2026 after Zurdo’s tune-up in January or February.
Benavidez Named as the Target
For De La Hoya to be targeting a fight between ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez instead of IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia suggests that the Golden Boy promoter doesn’t fancy his fighter Zurdo’s chances in a unification.
Opetaia Unification Ignored
So, instead of going for the fight that the fans have been interested in, De La Hoya is pushing for the Ramirez vs. Benavidez clash. Without Ramirez facing Opetaia, it would give the appearance of a cash-out for the 34-year-old ‘Zurdo,’ who has looked below average in his last two fights against Yuniel Dorticos and Chris Billiam-Smith.
The 34-year-old WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) will be returning from shoulder surgery following his narrow 12-round unanimous decision win over Cuban ‘The KO Doctor’ Dorticos on June 28, 2025, in Anaheim, California.
Dorticos Fight Raised Red Flags
Ramirez did not look impressive in that fight, eating heavy headshots throughout against the 39-year-old Dorticos. Age-wise, Dorticos looked like the younger fighter than Ramirez in that fight.
It was a similar performance from ‘Zurdo’ to how he fought in his previous bout against Chris Billiam-Smith on November 16, 2024, in Riyadh. Ramirez was forced to use movement to win a decision after getting hit with everything but the kitchen sink from the British fighter.
“I want to see him back healthy, first and foremost,” De La Hoya, chairman of Golden Boy, told DAZN via Boxingscene. “I want to see him back in the ring in January or February. Who knows, maybe Zurdo [Ramirez] vs. David Benavidez,” said De La Hoya.
Oscar’s Safety Net Strategy
Ramirez doesn’t look capable of beating Jai Opetaia. So, it would be foolish for Oscar to let him anywhere near him. Jai is like a hungry Kodiak bear right now. The end result of letting a vulnerable, easy-to-hit Ramirez in with him is predictable. He would be food for Opetaia, and it wouldn’t be pretty to watch the feeding.
Chris Williams can perfectly understand why De La Hoya would want to pull the trigger on the Ramirez vs. Benavidez fight rather than waiting until ‘Zurdo’ faces Opetaia. The way Ramirez has looked in his recent fights, he would stand very little chance of beating Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs) or even being competitive with him. Not just recently, though.
Ramirez has never looked good enough to beat a talent like Opetaia during his career. That’s the way I see it. So, from a promoter’s perspective, it makes perfect sense why De La Hoya is now talking about his interest in making the Benavidez fight for Ramirez rather than the Opetaia clash after Zurdo’s January or February tune-up in 2026.
Having Ramirez take the fight with Benavidez after a soft warm-up fight will hurt the interest in the fight. It would be a much bigger promotion if De La Hoya waited until after Ramirez faces Opetaia to match him against Benavidez.
Of course, in realistic terms, it’ll be pointless to make that move, given Ramirez’s dim chances of beating Opetaia. If he gets destroyed by the Australian native Jai, whatever fan interest that was there for a Benavidez-Ramirez fight will evaporate.