Challenger downplays size difference ahead of WBA and WBO cruiserweight title fight
David Benavidez says speed and combinations will be the difference against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on May 2. The challenger downplayed the size gap and expects his style to create openings against the unified cruiserweight champion.
Benavidez said Ramirez is the bigger man and is used to facing naturally larger opponents at cruiserweight, but he does not view that as a problem. He believes the slower pace common at the weight will work in his favor once the punches start flying.
Benavidez said Ramirez has never faced anyone like him in an official fight. While the two have shared sparring in the past, Benavidez made clear he sees a major difference between gym rounds and dealing with him under the lights over twelve rounds.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to hit him with a lot of combinations because he’s slower,” Benavidez said to Double3 Coverage. “My speed, my movement, my defense is going to be too much for him, and I’m definitely going to overwhelm him and drown him with pressure and volume.”
It’s interesting that he’s dismissing the size gap so casually. While Zurdo Ramirez is a natural Cruiserweight and holds the WBA/WBO unified titles, Benavidez is betting that speed and volume are the universal equalizers.
He’s already talking about it being “His Era.” When a fighter starts looking past a unified champion like Ramirez toward a September coronation or a legacy-defining run, they usually leave their chin exposed.
On the flip side, the oddsmakers aren’t seeing a massacre, at least not for Benavidez. He’s sitting as a -600 favorite for a reason. Most analysts think he’s simply special enough that his volume will break Zurdo’s rhythm before the size difference even becomes a factor.
