Ramirez Skips Tune-Up, Commits Directly to Benavidez Fight

Gilberto Ramirez is moving straight into his biggest cruiserweight fight without a safety net.

After months of uncertainty following shoulder surgery, the unified WBA and WBO titleholder has decided against taking a tune up bout and will instead head directly into a May 2 showdown with David Benavidez in Las Vegas. The plan marks a clear choice to prioritise risk over timing at a point where most champions would normally look for rounds and reassurance.

Ramirez had been expected to return in a lower risk fight earlier this year. That plan fell apart when his intended opponent was forced out with a hand injury. There was brief discussion about sliding the fight to a later undercard date, but the window closed quickly. Ramirez no longer saw value in a rust shaker and chose to keep his focus on Benavidez.

It is a bold move for a fighter coming off surgery and a year disrupted by inactivity. Ramirez last fought in June, when he outpointed Yuniel Dorticos in Anaheim. He followed that win by undergoing shoulder surgery in July, which sidelined him for the remainder of the year and quietly removed him from talks involving Jai Opetaia and the rest of the cruiserweight elite.

Since moving up from super middleweight, Ramirez has taken a measured approach to the division. He won the WBA belt against Arsen Goulamirian in March 2024, then unified later in the year with a clear decision over Chris Billam Smith. Skipping a tune up now represents a departure from that methodical pattern.

The opponent explains the shift. Benavidez is not a fight that benefits from delay. The former super middleweight champion is moving up with momentum and intention, and has already signaled that his time at cruiserweight will be brief. From Ramirez’s side, there is little incentive to stall when the opportunity brings visibility, stakes, and long term positioning.

The fight also lands on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, a date and setting that carries significance for Ramirez’s profile. He has spoken previously about representing Mexico on major stages, and this bout fits that ambition more than a low key return fight would have.

The decision removes margin for error. Ramirez will enter against a younger, aggressive opponent without the benefit of recent rounds. But it also avoids drift. At cruiserweight, inactivity costs leverage quickly. Ramirez has chosen to move forward while the fight is available, even if it means stepping in without a warm up.

It is a gamble. It is also a clear statement about how he intends to operate at this stage of his career.