| LAS VEGAS – February 23, 2026 – Undefeated two-division world champion and Mexican superstar David “El Monstro” Benavidez will move up in weight to challenge Mexico’s first cruiserweight world champion, unified WBA and WBO king Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, in a first of its kind Mexico vs. Mexico showdown highlighting Cinco de Mayo Weekend in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 2 headlining a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video from T-Mobile Arena.
Benavidez vs. Ramirez will deliver the first Mexico vs. Mexico world championship matchup to ever take place above 168-pounds, with two fighters known for non-stop action and memorable fights throughout their storied careers. “El Monstro” and “Zurdo” sport a combined record of 79-1 with 55 KOs and will each look to score a career-defining victory on one of boxing’s premier weekends.
In addition to the PPV being available for purchase on Prime Video, regardless of Prime
membership, fans will also be able to continue to access the telecast through traditional cable and satellite outlets.
Pre-sale tickets are available TOMORROW, Tuesday, February 24 from 10 a.m. PT until 10 p.m. PT through AXS.com with the codes: PBC or GBP
Public on-sale begins Wednesday, February 25 at 10 a.m. PT through AXS.com.
The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Sampson Boxing in association with TGB Promotions.
“I’m really excited about Cinco de Mayo weekend this year,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “These guys have 55 knockouts between them. They’re not gonna bore the crowd. They’re gonna put on a show. They’re technicians, but they’re fighters. The pressure is on. Cinco de Mayo is a date where people expect fireworks and that’s exactly what we will get.”
“This is going to be a special Cinco de Mayo,” said Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing. “I’m thankful that we’ve come together to make a great show and many more in the future. This is going to be one of the best shows that money can buy. Benavidez is taking his own way to become the best of the best. He’s not going to wait around for any challenger or champion. I want to thank ‘Zurdo’ for stepping up, because this is the fight.”
**DAVID BENAVIDEZ VS. GILBERTO RAMIREZ**
Already the youngest 168-pound champion in boxing history and the current WBC and WBA Light Heavyweight Champion, David “El Monstro” Benavidez will seek a world title in a third division as he faces fellow two-division world champion and the reigning unified WBA and WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in a 12-round matchup headlining one of boxing’s biggest nights.
One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, the 29-year-old Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) continued to dominate elite competition in a big 2025 campaign. He kicked the year off by defeating rival and then unbeaten David Morrell Jr. by unanimous decision to add the WBA belt to the WBC title he’d earned in 2024 against former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Prior to that, Benavidez’s 2023 began with him besting longtime rival Caleb Plant via unanimous decision in a March slugfest before stopping the previously unbeaten two-division champion Demetrius Andrade in six rounds in November. A Phoenix-native who now trains in Miami, Benavidez became the youngest-ever 168-pound world champion at just 20-years-old when he defeated Ronald Gavril by split decision for the vacant WBC title in 2017. When he was 15 years old, Benavidez went from weighing 250 pounds to a boxing prodigy under the watchful eye of his father and trainer, Jose, Sr., and his brother and veteran contender Jose Jr., as he famously held his own in sparring against middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin as a teenager. Benavidez most recently demolished top contender Anthony Yarde in November, stopping him in round seven.
“This is something I’ve been working toward for a long time,” said Benavidez. “We’ve had so many great sparring sessions and I told Zurdo then, we’ll have to do this on pay-per-view one day. Now we’re going for two titles on May 2 and I’m very grateful…I’m gonna go in there and leave everything in the ring. I’m making sure I’m doing extra reps with anything and everything I do. That’s just the way I fight. I want to earn the fans respect and go in there and put on a great fight…I want to make my own lane and achieve greatness.”
“David Benavidez doesn’t just have to win, he has to show out to prove he can go after the Bivols and Beterbievs,” said Jose Benavidez Sr., David’s father and trainer.“This is gonna be an explosive fight. I want to thank all the Mexican people for all their love and support. David Benavidez is showing he truly is the Mexican Monster. Be there on May 2. A new era will begin. The era of the Mexican Monster.”
A native of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) became Mexico’s first cruiserweight world champion in March 2024 as he earned a unanimous decision over Arsen Goulamirian to capture the WBA championship. The 34-year-old followed up that feat by adding the WBO belt in a November 2024 triumph over Chris Billiam-Smith via another unanimous decision. He continued to establish his place atop the 200-pound weight class in his most recent action last June, as he handled the hard-hitting former cruiserweight world champion Yuniel Dorticos. Ramirez broke into the upper echelon of the sport with a prolific run as the WBO Super Middleweight World Champion, beginning in April 2016 when he dethroned Arthur Abraham. He’d go on to make five successful title defenses, including two victories over the previously unbeaten Jesse Hart and triumphs over then-undefeated contenders Alexis Angulo and Habib Ahmed. The lone blemish on Ramirez’s resume came via decision in a 2022 challenge of light heavyweight star Dmitry Bivol.
“I’m so glad to be here to make a huge fight for May 2,” said Ramirez. “Don’t miss this fight. I know Team Benavidez, they actually helped me a lot for my first world title fight. We’re gonna make this an exciting fight. At the end of the day, the titles are staying with Zurdo…I just want to be the best. I want to fight the best and he’s one of the best. I just want to give the fans who love this sport the best fights.”
“I can’t say how much of an honor it is to be a part of Cinco de Mayo weekend,” said Julian Chua, Ramirez’s trainer. “The heritage of Mexican boxing built this sport…Neither team is too big into talking, and there won’t be a need for it. I’ve seen them sparring up close, and those rounds were all pay-per-view worthy. Now you layer on that it’s a real fight, the competitive nature that brought them both to where they are today, at its peak form, it will be there.” |
