David Benavidez’ fight is just beginning
By Norm Frauenheim
David Benavidez’ rocket-ride to stardom with a beatdown of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez makes him a consensus top five pound-for-pound contender and the early leader for 2026 Fighter of the Year.
His ascent from a forgotten teenager who was never called a prospect to a prime-time spot at the top of the game is as rare as it is compelling.
It’s also just the beginning.
Now 29 years old, Benavidez, once a kid from the streets in west Phoenix, said repeatedly before opening bell May 2 that he was only getting started at building a genuine legacy.
“That just catapults me into the same category as the greats,’’ Benavidez said a couple of days before a brutal sixth-round stoppage of Zurdo that put him into boxing’s long, bloodied history as the first to win titles at 200, 175 and 168 pounds. “You know, it’s very hard to become world champion. It’s very hard to become world champion in two weight classes.
“So, three weight classes would put me in the same conversations as the greats. At the end of the day, I want to keep giving the fans what they want to see, the best fights, and keep winning world titles to solidify my legacy.”
The task now is to stay in the conversation. For Benavidez, that just means more of the same thing he’s been doing since nobody knew – or cared – who he was.
Who he is.
His personality, his lifestyle, has been forged into a stubborn, sometimes edgy, pursuit of proving doubters wrong.
Even in the wake of his convincing victory over Zurdo, doubters are still there. Benavidez is glad they are. Without them, there wouldn’t be the motivation. This time, doubts are rooted in part by Zurdo himself.
Zurdo, soft spoken and popular in Mexico, was almost forgotten in the ritual hype throughout the promotional marketing for the cruiserweight fight. A former Benavidez sparring partner, Zurdo was also a friend. At times, however, he was almost too friendly. But Benavidez never had any illusions. He promised to walk through a friend.
He did.
Now, however, the doubters wonder if somebody not so friendly – say Dmitry Bivol or Jai Opetaia – might be able to stop Benavidez’ march to the pound-for-pound No. 1 and Fighter of the Year.
Bivol, a 175-pound champion and another former Benavidez sparring partner, and Opetaia, a feared cruiserweight, have been mentioned more than any other.
But neither looks likely for a mid-September date, the second step in Benavidez’ attempt to take over the Mexican holiday dates that once belonged to Canelo Alvarez. After his smashing dominance in his Cinco de Mayo debut, Benavidez hopes for an encore celebrating Mexico’s Sept 16th Independence Day.
But Bivol might be too busy. He has a title defense scheduled for May 30 against Michael Eifert. If he wins, a third fight against Artur Beterbiev is a possibility.
A date with Opetaia is the best fight out there, Benavidez said. Yet, he also dismissed it, in large part because of boxing’s forever balkanized politics. Opetaia is a Zuffa fighter.
He has a Zuffa title, yet was stripped of the better-known International Boxing Federation belt, which is traditionally a part of the collection of belts that add up to undisputed.
At this stage, Benavidez is seeking undisputed, again all in a lifelong fight to prove doubters wrong.
Benavidez said he has no interest – Z as in Zero — in fighting Opetaia for only a Zuffa belt.
Yet, Benavidez’ surging popularity is impossible to ignore, even for Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh, Zuffa’s financial backer.
According to The Ring, also Saudi-owned, Alalshikh is talking about Benavidez fighting heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2027. First, Usyk, perhaps the greatest cruiserweight ever, has a curious date against kick-boxer Rico Verhoeven May 23 in Egypt
The story was reported just a few days after Benavidez, a longtime Usyk admirer, asked reporters at a post-fight news conference to quit asking him about heavyweight.
“Maybe in five years,’’ said Benavidez, a fighter suddenly looking at a future when just about anything looks to be possible.