Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya says he is interested in a fight between unified two-belt cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez against David Benavidez in 2026 after Zurdo’s January or February adjustment.
Benavidez designated as the target
That De La Hoya is targeting a fight between ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez instead of IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia suggests that the Golden Boy promoter is not keen on his fighter Zurdo’s chances in a unification.
Obadiah Unification ignored
So instead of going for the fight the fans were interested in, De La Hoya is pushing for the Ramirez vs. Benavidez Clash. Without Ramirez facing Opetaia, it would give the appearance of a payout for the 34-year-old ‘Zurdo,’ who has looked below average in his last two fights against Yuniel Dorticos and Chris Billiam-Smith.
The 34-year-old WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) will return from shoulder surgery after his close 12-round unanimous decision victory over Cuban ‘The KO Doctor’ Dorticos on June 28, 2025, in Anaheim, California.
Dorticos Fight Raised Red Flags
Ramirez didn’t look impressive in that fight, eating heavy head shots throughout against the 39-year-old Dorticos. Age-wise, Dorticos looked like the younger fighter than Ramirez in that fight.
It was a similar performance from ‘Zurdo’ to how he fought in his previous fight against Chris Billiam-Smith on November 16, 2024 in Riyadh. Ramirez was forced to use movement to win a decision after being hit with everything but the kitchen sink from the British fighter.
“First of all, I want to see him back healthy,” Golden Boy chairman De La Hoya told DAZN via Boxing scene. “I want to see him back in the ring in January or February. Who knows, maybe Zurdo (Ramirez) vs. David Benavidez,” De La Hoya said.
Oscar’s safety net strategy
Ramirez looks unable to beat Jai Opetaia. So it would be foolish for Oscar to let him anywhere near him. Jai is like a hungry Kodiak bear at the moment. The end result of letting a vulnerable, easy-to-beat Ramirez in on him is predictable. He would be food for Opetaia, and it would not be pretty to look at the feeding.
Chris Williams can totally understand why De La Hoya would want to pull the trigger on the Ramirez vs. Benavidez fight rather than wait until ‘Zurdo’ faces Opetaia. The way Ramirez has looked in his recent fights, he would have very little chance of beating Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs) or even being competitive with him. But not just recently.
Ramirez has never looked good enough to beat a talent like Opetaia in his career. That’s how I see it. So, from a promoter’s perspective, it makes perfect sense why De La Hoya is now talking about his interest in having the Benavidez fight Ramirez rather than the Opetaia clash after Zurdo’s January or February 2026 introduction.
Having Ramirez fight Benavidez after a soft warm-up fight will hurt interest in the fight. It would be a much bigger promotion if De La Hoya waited until after Ramirez faced Opetaia to match him against Benavidez.
Of course, in realistic terms, making that move would be pointless given Ramirez’s slim chances of beating Opetaia. If he gets destroyed by Australian native Jai, whatever fan interest there was for a Benavidez-Ramirez fight will evaporate.
Last updated on 11/09/2025
