LAS VEGAS – The image was unusual and creepy. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez, the Mexican giant who only hours had arrived to the arena flaunting world champion belts, he was transported on a stretcher, with dark glasses covering his injured face.

“Zurdo” Ramírez had on Saturday the worst night of his career. He was the irremediable victim of one of the greatest stars current boxing. David Benavídez gave a brutal beating to the original from Sinaloa, knocked out in round 6.

Benavídez dominoed from the beginning with his accustomed bursts of two handed punches. His speed was too much for “Zurdo”, who became a bl easy for his opponent; a boxing pear that the called “Mexican Monster” hit violently for a good part of the 18 minutes that the fight lasted.

Ramírez, already badly hurt and with his right eye sunken under the swelling, couldn't continue after Benavídez rounded out his best punch combination of the evening with a right has followed by a devastating left hook. Immediately, Benavídez's left elbow hit the face of “Zurdo”, who put his knee on the canvas for the end of the fight.

Hits with Benavídez's elbow generate debate

Some elbow blows by Benavídez became a topic of conversation on social media after videos appeared showing some strong contacts during exchanges in the ring.

The reaction of Ramírez, a more than accomplished gladiator, was worrying. The purple ball around the eye was grotesque.

Golden Boy Promotions told La Opinion on Sunday that their fighter was discharged from the hospital this day and that, happily, he didn't suffer anything a broken bone, only one real eye swollen. “He is in good spirits, only very disappointed in himself,” the report added.

Gilberto Ramírez, almost 35 years old, lost his WBA and WBO cruiserweight scepters. Due to the damage suffered it can be estimated that he will not return to the ring in the rest of 2026.

While the historic “Zurdo”, first man born in Mexico to be champion in some of the major divisions of professional boxing (168 and 175 pounds) had a night to forget on the Cinco de weekend, David Benavídez stunned in his first opportunity to headline the most important date of the year in boxing in the United States.

From “Pacman” to “Monster”

David Benavídez proved to be an unstoppable force in the ring. The “Mexican Monster” doesn't know defeat in paid boxing (32-0, 26 KO) and the fact of having been so forceful against a very respected champion after gaining 25 pounds is amazing.

He is the first man to have conquered world titles in the super middleweight (168 pounds), light heavyweight (175) and cruise (200 ) divisions.

The beating on Saturday reminded that “massacre” given by Manny Pacquiao to the Mexican Antonio Margarito in 2010, when the Filipino got into the ring against an h ombre considerably larger in size, but completely dominated him to the degree that Margarito suffered fractured orbital bone after receiving punishment for 12 rounds.

Benavídez revealed on Saturday to reporters that he always wanted to follow in Pacquiao's footsteps as a fighter, in addition that both were born on December 17th.

“Me Manny Pacquiao have the same birthday, so I feel like we have the same fire and the same flame,” said the 29-year-old man born in Phoenix. “And you know, I just want to give this kind of exciting fights, because when I was a kid, this is what always excited me, this kind of fights, watching these insane knockouts.”

Benavídez is a spectacular fighter who has lacked being in bigger functions. Multiple boxing stars have done it eluded. The most obvious is Saúl Álvarez, who he called again on Saturday when “Canelo” had already left his seat at ringside.