Sebastian has sparred with David before and believes he will come out victorious on May 2. “I have David, I have David winning that fight. David is too fast. We saw in his last fight how he’s way too fast for these light heavyweights. He’s going up to cruiserweight, they’re a lot slower, they’re stronger, but David is strong too.”
Fundora believes Benavidez’s speed will be too much for Ramirez to handle. David not only has speed but also punishes opponents with fast combinations and accurate punching. He is one of the most accurate punchers in boxing with a total connect rate of 38.5 percent. In his last match against Anthony Yarde, he smothered him with his punches.
Landing 42 percent of his total punches, leaving Yarde unable to mount a counter-offensive. He landed a lowly 19 percent of his total punches before finally being stopped in the seventh round (Compubox).
Benavidez and Ramirez are familiar with each other as they themselves have had numerous sparring sessions. They did so at an open weight, which is similar to the cruiserweight division they’ll be fighting in.
Gilberto stated at the launch press conference that, in terms of power, he feels they’re about the same in terms of strength, with neither possessing a clear advantage. This will be Zurdo’s fourth fight at cruiserweight, and he’s the current unified WBA and WBO champion. In terms of divisional experience, he has the edge.
There is a 25-pound difference between the light heavyweight limit of 175 and the cruiserweight limit of 200. David moved up to light heavyweight in June of 2024, and after three fights, is moving up to cruiserweight.
He does have the advantage in terms of speed and accuracy, but what remains to be seen is how a 200-pound Benavidez will perform. Knowing how to put on the weight correctly is important; those boxers who simply put on mass are the ones who tend to struggle the most when going up in weight.
The jump from light heavyweight to cruiserweight is significant, and if Benavidez is able to do it intelligently, he’ll be able to hold the same advantages he held at light heavyweight. He is daring to be great by seeking to earn a title in his third division, he could have stood on the sidelines and waited for Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev to become available but instead he chose to fight Zurdo when the opportunity presented itself.
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