On Cinco de Mayo weekend, David Benavidez proved why he is one of boxing’s biggest threats. The 29-year-old stopped Gilberto Ramirez in the sixth round at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, taking the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles.
With the win, “The Mexican Monster” became the first fighter to hold world titles at super middleweight, light heavyweight, and cruiserweight. Immediately after the fight, he called out Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who was watching from ringside.
David Benavidez Calls Out Canelo Alvarez Directly After Three-Division Title Win
Benavidez dominated the pace from the early rounds. And by the sixth round, reports noted that Ramirez had sustained significant damage, including a heavily swollen right eye. After taking heavy combinations, Ramirez dropped to a knee at 2:59 of Round 6 and the fight was called off. This made Benavidez the first fighter to ever stop Ramirez in his 50 professional bouts.
Post-fight, with belts draped around his waist and the Vegas crowd still buzzing, Benavidez didn’t let the moment go. With Canelo — who was in attendance supporting stablemate Jaime Munguia — visible ringside, “The Mexican Monster” went straight for it.
Following the impressive victory, the three-division champion immediately targeted Alvarez, who was watching from ringside to support his teammate, Jaime Munguia.
“Nobody can f— with me … I feel good, man. I just want to give fans what they want to see. I seen Canelo in the building,” Benavidez said.
David Benavidez called out Canelo Alvarez after demolishing Zurdo Ramirez 👀
“I seen Canelo in the building.” pic.twitter.com/2WpfwUnH4S
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 3, 2026
He added, “Let me just ask the fans this: do you guys want to see Canelo versus David Benavidez? Enough said. That means we can’t leave this fight on the table. I have respect for Canelo, he’s a great champion, but I’m a great champion, too. I don’t know — I’m champion at 200 and 175 — if they want to come get it at 175, let’s get it at 175.”
The callout wasn’t spontaneous. It was years in the making.
The Long-Unfinished Business Between David Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez
Benavidez has been calling out Alvarez since March 2023 when he beat Caleb Plant and asked the crowd if they wanted the fight, calling himself the real champion at 168. The matchup never happened, however. While Benavidez waited as the mandatory challenger, Canelo pursued other legacy fights and unified the super middleweight division.
Eventually, frustrated Benavidez moved up. He won an interim title at light heavyweight before jumping to cruiserweight to face Ramirez. Before fight week, Benavidez admitted the Canelo and Dmitry Bivol fights felt “out of reach,” so he focused on collecting accolades.
Saturday’s win changed that. With Canelo sitting ringside to support teammate Jaime Munguia, the timing was too perfect for Benavidez to ignore.
The business side is even more interesting. The 35-year-old lost a clear decision and his undisputed crown to Terence Crawford last September. He is now expected to return on Sept. 12 for an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but no opponent has been confirmed for the bout.
Canelo’s longtime trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso has told Ring the fight is dead, adding, “That fight against Benavidez is done. There was a time when that fight could have been made at 168, and it didn’t happen, so it’s done.”
Benavidez, now holding titles at 175 and 200 pounds and still unbeaten, is betting that Saturday’s statement performance reopens that conversation, whether Alvarez’s camp wants it to or not.
