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David Benavidez talks through PPV training sessions with Zurdo Ramirez
In most buildups to superfights, we see a ton of animosity.
We get shoving, swearing, screaming, objects thrown, and headbutts. You name it, more often than not, the incident has happened.
Ahead of Saturday's DAZN PPV headliner between David Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) and unified cruiserweight champion Zurdo Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs), we have seen nothing of the sort. Hugs, handshakes, compliments, and voices that would keep the heart rate steady have been the vibe throughout the promotion.
The reason nothing has escalated in the lead-up to Saturday's WBA/WBO title clash is that Benavidez and Ramirez have been friends since they started training together when the former was 17 until "The Mexican Monster" was 23.
The bond between them was strong to the point that Benavidez was Ramirez's main sparring partner when he challenged Arthur Abraham in April 2016 for the WBO super middleweight title. It wasn't just a few rounds that Benavidez and Ramirez worked together in their six-year run together. Much time was spent in the ring between the two Mexican champions.
"Probably like a probably good, a hundred rounds, a hundred or 150 rounds," Benavidez told DAZN News. "So I worked with him when I was 17 years old. I was his main sparring partner for when he fought Arthur Abraham. I sparred with him for that whole training camp. And I sparred with him for multiple training camps after that. The last time I sparred with him, I was 23."
When it comes to sparring with what ends up sometimes being future opponents, some boxers say they gained from the sessions. On the other hand, you have boxers who say the opposite. The 29-year-old leans on the former aspect of the ladder.
"But for me, the fighter I am, I always retained the information I learned from the fighter," Benavidez admits. "You know, that's just something I do. So I know everything that he does. I know everything he does bad and not only the things I learned about him already, but the things I've continued to learn."
The expectation heading into Saturday night is one of violence, violence, and more violence because of the come-forward nature of Benavidez and Ramirez, along with their heavy hands. It's one Benavidez believes will happen as well with him exiting the ring and Las Vegas as a three-division world champion.
"It's going to be a great fight for the country of Mexico," Benavidez said. It's also going to be a great pay-per-view fight, just like all the sparing sessions I had with him. They were all like pay-per-view sparring sessions.
"I see myself stopping Zurdo Ramirez. I see myself stopping Zurdo Ramirez with a volume of punches, speed, power, and movement. I think my counter shots are going to be too fast. My defense is going to be too fast. But at the end of the day, we're ready for whatever. We're ready for 12 rounds of war, and we're ready to end it whenever it's ready to be ended."
Benavidez vs. Zurdo on DAZN PPV
Watch David Benavidez versus Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez on DAZN PPV this Saturday, May 2. Buy as a one-off PPV or get it included with the DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription, which also includes the Wardley vs. Dubois (May 9), Usyk vs. Verhoeven (May 23), Fury vs. Hall (June 13), and Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPVs without any extra one-off costs.
For pricing, more information, and to sign up to watch, click here.
