WBO Clears Mandatory Path Before Ramirez vs Benavidez

WBO scraps interim route before May 2 defense

The WBO has cancelled its interim cruiserweight title fight ahead of Gilberto Ramirez’s May 2 defense against David Benavidez. The decision restores control over the mandatory line and removes the risk of an interim champion dictating the next fights.

This was headed toward a mess.

Roman Fress and Armend Xhoxhaj were ordered into an interim fight when Ramirez was sidelined in 2025, a familiar alphabet solution when a champion cannot make a date. The idea was simple. Crown a placeholder, park him in the rankings, and have him waiting when the champion resurfaces.

The resurfacing came. The interim fight did not.

An injury to one of the approved interim participants removed the last practical reason to move forward, and the WBO Championship Committee shut it down. No interim belt means no automatic mandatory walking to the front of the line with a receipt in hand.

Ramirez, 46-1, holds the full WBO strap and now steps into a defense against Benavidez, 28-0, on May 2 without an interim claimant looming over the winner. In gym language, the path is clean. Win the fight, then look at the rankings board.

The Ramirez versus Benavidez fight now carries more than belts and pride. It shapes the next eliminator. It shapes who the committee calls in after the scorecards are read. There will be no inherited challenger stepping through the ropes with interim paperwork in his back pocket.

Ramirez was never stripped. The belt stayed with him. Still, the division had begun preparing for movement without its champion. Matchmakers were circling. Managers were whispering about positioning.

That door has been closed.

This simplifies camp. You prepare for Benavidez. You do not prepare for a mandatory already penciled in. You start with the jab, work behind it, set your feet, and handle the man in front of you knowing the ranking order will be rebuilt after.

The champion keeps his belt. The next challenger will have to earn his spot the hard way, through eliminators and rounds, not paperwork.

May 2 will tell us if Ramirez can hold ground at cruiserweight when a pressure fighter pushes him back and forces him to work for every exchange.

Date: May 2
Start time: 7 pm local, 7 pm ET, 12 am UK
Streaming platform: DAZN PPV
Venue: Las Vegas, Nevada
Fight card: Gilberto Ramirez vs David Benavidez, cruiserweight title fight
How to watch: DAZN app on smart TV, mobile, or web browser