“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 much.”
That was telling, given who he was in with. Ramirez got here in because the naturally larger man, someone who has operated at cruiserweight. On paper, that’s imagined to be the threat. Within the ring, it never showed.
Benavidez kept a good high guard early to catch the left hand and improved behind his jab. Once he settled, he began digging to the body, forcing Ramirez to offer ground. The combos got here in waves: jab, right hand, left hook, they usually didn’t decelerate.
There have been moments where Ramirez landed clean, the style of shots that sometimes get a response. The group responded. Benavidez didn’t. He stayed in front of him and kept working.
Even Mike Tyson was heard through the fight telling him to not take unnecessary shots. Benavidez’s response afterward made it clear he never felt in danger.
“I’m not here to take no easy rides. Wherever the toughest fight is at, that’s where I need to be at,” said Benavidez.
If an even bigger opponent can’t get his respect, that changes how the remainder of the division looks at him. Names like Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev are the plain targets.
Benavidez took away the one thing Ramirez was imagined to bring with him. The facility never showed up, and it didn’t change anything once the pressure built. That’s an issue for anyone watching him at this weight.
