May 2, Fightday Ramirez vs. Benavidez, Diary #5: What BOXSPORT author Andreas Selak loved about the “Cinco de Mayo” boxing event at the T-Mobile Arena.
On Saturday it’s “¡Vámonos!”, off we go to the big Mexican fight day with the Ramirez vs. Benavidez cruiserweight world championship in Las Vegas. The day got off to a spectacular start even before I arrived at the T-Mobile Arena, when young star and semi-welterweight Emiliano Vargas crossed my path.
In the hall itself, it was no less special. Shortly after I was assigned my seat, referee Kenny Bayless took his place next to me. The 75-year-old is one of the most famous referees in boxing and has officiated numerous legendary fights. When I asked him about the most difficult fight of his career, Bayless named the duel Fury vs. Wilder 2, mainly due to the extraordinary physicality of the two heavyweights.
Undercard with top-class duels
The arena opened at 12.30 p.m., as a total of twelve fights were on the program. As is often the case, it was still relatively empty at the start of the undercard fights, which doesn’t really do justice to the athletes’ performances. I took my seat about eight fights before the main event Ramirez vs. Benavidez – and was immediately rewarded with intense and high-class duels.
The first big surprise came from Argentina’s Ismael Flores (18-1-1, 12 knockouts), who outpointed the previously unbeaten Mexican Isaac Lucero (18-1, 14 knockouts) over ten rounds. The mood in the crowd dropped noticeably for a short time. But it got loud again in the next fight. Jorge Chávez (15-1-1, 8 knockouts) and José Tito Sánchez (16-0, 10 knockouts) delivered a spectacular “toe-to-toe” exchange in the super bantamweight division. Sánchez finally prevailed by T.K.O. in the tenth round.
Handwriting by Eddie Reynoso
The following fights also kept the level high. Oscar Duarte (31-2-1, 23 knockouts) narrowly won by split decision against Angel Fierro (23-5-2, 18 knockouts), while Jaime Munguía (46-2, 35 knockouts) impressed with a dominant performance over twelve rounds against Armando Reséndiz (16-3, 11 knockouts). The signature of trainer Eddy Reynoso was clearly recognizable.
Then came the big moment: challenger David Benavidez (32-0, 16 knockouts) entered the arena, accompanied by Mike Tyson and Ryan Garcia. Right from the start, he dominated cruiserweight world champion Gilberto Ramirez (48-2, 30 knockouts) with speed, precision and enormous pressure. The WBO and WBA (Super) champion was knocked down in round four and the fight was stopped in the sixth round after another series of punches. Wow! An impressive victory by “The Monster”, which left the audience speechless and is possibly the start of a new era in boxing.
Bad luck for Ramirez: in addition to the defeat, “Zurdo” also suffered a fracture to his eye socket. After the press conference of the “Cinco de Mayo” boxing event, I then had the great pleasure of congratulating David Benavidez personally. What a respectful and lovable person and champion he is!
Click here to part 1 of the Las Vegas diary.
Click here to part 2 of the Las Vegas diary.
Click here for part 3 & 4 of the Las Vegas diary.
