“I didn’t really feel nothing, bro. I didn’t feel no power,” Benavidez said to Fighthype when asked about WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Zurdo Ramirez’s power last Saturday. “I felt I took every punch pretty well.”
That was telling, given who he was in with. Ramirez came in as the naturally bigger man, someone who has operated at cruiserweight. On paper, that’s supposed to be the threat. In the ring, it never showed.
Benavidez kept a tight high guard early to catch the left hand and stepped forward behind his jab. Once he settled, he started digging to the body, forcing Ramirez to give ground. The combinations came in waves: jab, right hand, left hook, and they didn’t slow down.
There were moments where Ramirez landed clean, the type of shots that usually get a reaction. The crowd responded. Benavidez didn’t. He stayed in front of him and kept working.
Even Mike Tyson was heard during the fight telling him not to take unnecessary shots. Benavidez’s reaction afterward made it clear he never felt at risk.
“I’m not here to take no easy rides. Wherever the hardest fight is at, that’s where I want to be at,” said Benavidez.
If a bigger opponent can’t get his respect, that changes how the rest of the division looks at him. Names like Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev are the obvious targets.
Benavidez took away the one thing Ramirez was supposed to bring with him. The power never showed up, and it didn’t change anything once the pressure built. That’s a problem for anyone watching him at this weight.
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