El Monstro Benavidez New WBO Cruiserweight Champion After KO Zurdo Ramirez

David "El Monstro" Benavidez's left hook landed flush on Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez's face as they battled at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA on Saturday night (2/5/2026). (Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions)

JAKARTA - David "El Monstro" Benavidez managed to win the WBO cruiserweight boxing world title after winning a 6th-round KO over defending champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez. Their fight took place at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA on Saturday night (2/5) or Sunday morning (3/5) WIB.

Benavidez, who is smaller in stature, did not show any fear at all. The Mexican-American boxer continued to attack and put a heavy blow to the face and body of Ramirez who is from Mexico. Ramirez, who is bigger in stature, tried to eliminate his opponent's attack by constantly closing his body, but Benavidez always managed to dodge and create distance to continue launching punches.

Benavidez's attack became more serious in the 4th round. Through his precise combination of punches, he managed to knock down Ramirez before the 4th round ended. Ramirez ended the round with a bloody face.

In the 5th round Ramirez still carried out his original strategy, approaching to drain the opponent's energy through his posture advantage. But Benavidez was too agile to be suppressed at close range, he always managed to get away to then deliver a precise counterpunch.

The 6th round was the end of the story of the fight. Again, Benavidez managed to knock down Ramirez with his fast and precise punches. Ramirez's face was also getting worse, with the area around the eye torn.

Rammirez, who fell onto the canvas in a limp state, was unable to get up until referee Thomas Taylor completed 10 counts. The duel between the two tough Mexican-blooded boxers was finally stopped when the 6th round went 2 minutes: 59 seconds.

Thanks to the victory, Benavidez (29) is entitled to the WBO cruiserweight champion title. The title is the third for him, after previously winning the WBC super middleweight and WBC lightweight titles. His fighting record is still smooth with 32-0-0 (26 KO).

Meanwhile, Ramirez (34) had to lose the title he had held since November 2024. His record was also tarnished, with 48-2-0 (30 KO).