Boxing
Roy Jones sees one path for Gilberto Ramirez to beat David Benavidez
Benavidez created the same problem for opponent after opponent. Players may be competitive at the beginning, but few maintain that level once the rounds are over.
“Guys are having good rounds, they’re not putting up good fights with him. Ultimately, they get exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally, and David Benavidez takes over and gets his hand raised,” Jones told the Hall of Game.
This became a key advantage for Benavidez. His pressure doesn’t always lend a hand in the first few minutes, but it often changes the entire fight when opponents start reacting instead of working.
But Jones doesn’t see Ramirez as a helpless underdog. He cited the Mexican southerner’s experience, length and consistent style as reasons why the fight could become arduous if Benavidez is unable to break him down early.
“If Zordo Ramirez can weather these storms without taking too much of a penalty and keeping the ball tight on defense, he has a chance,” Jones said.
Ramirez has won titles in multiple divisions and has shown that he can fight at a pace without missing many rounds. This can make a difference against an opponent who thrives when rallies become rushed and tumultuous.
Gilberto Ramirez has spent the last few years acclimating to the higher weight classes, and his cruiserweight frame is naturally broader than what David Benavidez faced.
However, Benavidez’s punishment against Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell Jr. was obvious. Although he won both fights by unanimous decision, those victories were different from his 168 search-and-destroy streak.
In his lithe heavyweight debut against Gwozdyk, Benavidez admitted to suffering a torn ligament in his hand and a cut that forced him to box more conservatively. He dominated the first half, but his punch stats showed a significant sharpening in the later rounds.
Benavidez outscored Gvozdyk 107 to 57 in rounds 1 through 5. That gap narrowed to a much smaller 116 to 106 in the final seven rounds.
The match against Morrell was a close one, with Morrell’s athleticism and strength forcing Benavidez to take weighty shots. Even though the scorecards were clear (118-108, 115-111, 115-111), Benavidez finished the fight with a better result than usual.
The jump to fight Ramirez for the cruiserweight title represents a 25-pound escalate over Benavidez’s longtime home at super middleweight. Critics say that if Gvozdyk and Morrell were able to find openings at 175, a naturally bigger champion like Ramirez would have the stamina to ignore the “Monsters” volume and land more counter punches.
Ramirez thrives when he can apply his reach to keep opponents on the receiving end of his punches. The gigantic question is: Will Ramirez be able to move enough to actually stay out of the line of fire? Since moving up to cruiserweight, his footwork and ability to turn opponents around has been surprisingly excellent.
In his victories over Arsene Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith, he used his 180 cm frame to reset the distance each time the situation became more arduous. However, David Benavidez is a completely different animal than Billam-Smith.
While Ramirez’s moves looked great against fighters attacking in a straight line, Benavidez is a master at cutting down the ring and throwing combinations that catch fighters even as they try to move away.
Ramirez tried to apply the move in his match against Dmitry Bivol at 175 pounds and we saw how it went. He was unable to maintain the technical rhythm and ultimately lost by clear decision. Benavidez isn’t as trim as Bivol, but his pressure is much more physically taxing.
Carlos Adames said he can beat anyone at middleweight and super middleweight, but the statement was met with immediate backlash from newly crowned IBF super middleweight champion Osleys Iglesias. After Adames announced he was ready to fight, the undefeated Cuban responded on social media, calling for the fight to go ahead.
The exchange began when Carlos Adames stated that no one at 160 or 168 pounds could beat him. The fan quickly challenged him to fight Iglesias, one of the most hazardous names in the super middleweight division.
“Who are you? What I do in the ring confirms what I say here. Whenever you want, I’m ready to prove it to you,” Adames said in X.
That was met with a direct response from Iglesias (15-0, 14 KO), who is coming off an eighth-round victory over Pavel Silyagin and gained traction at 168 pounds after winning the IBF title.
“Enough talking. Let’s get on the same page and take the fight to the next level. I’m waiting for your call. My team is ready. I’m waiting for you,” said Osleys Iglesias.
Adames holds the middleweight title while Iglesias is one division above, so any fight would require one side to advance. This alone makes it more sedate than a routine online argument.
This exchange with Iglesias bears all the hallmarks of a potential bluff by Adames. Iglesias is now viewed by many as the 168-pound boss who stopped Pavel Silyagin in the eighth round just two weeks ago.
He’s a powerful southpaw with a 93% knockout rate, which isn’t usually the type of guy a champion fights unless he’s 100% sedate or looking for a huge payday.
Fans will soon find out if this was Adames’ social media stunt if he starts demanding a catchweight fight with Iglesias or tells him to drop down to 160 pounds. If he tells IBF 168-pound champion Iglesias to back off, he will simply be looking for a way out. It will be a foregone conclusion if he stays on X and does not lead to official negotiations between Adames’ promoters at PBC and Iglesias’ team.
The southpaw Iglesias is essentially a airy heavyweight who can reach 168 pounds and would also have significant height and an advantage over Adames. If Adames is sedate, he’s taking one of the toughest routes possible to make a super middleweight debut.
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Last updated: 23/04/2026 at 10:29
While talking about failed drug tests in boxing, host Simon Jordan cited an earlier estimate by panelist Spencer Oliver, who suggested the number could be as high as 70 percent. Hamed immediately disputed this statement.
“That’s a tough statement,” Hamed told talksport Boxing when the number was repeated during the episode.
“The same applies to me personally. Don’t take it personally. It’s like destroying the players, 70% of them,” Hamed said.
It was vintage “Naz” stuff, seeing him come out waving to players like that. He has always been devoted to the craft and clearly sees the 70% result as a slap in the face to the guys who live neat and do grueling work.
Oliver responded that this was his opinion based on repeated failed tests and suspicions surrounding the sport, not evidence against specific names. Hamed was not convinced and said that charges should only be brought when the militant was actually caught.
“You can’t accuse any single person unless he or she has been caught,” Hamed said.
Hamed’s point about “destroying” warriors is the most compelling part of his argument. When someone like Spencer Oliver comes up with a huge number, like 70%, it creates a lasting cloud of suspicion.
This means that even if a player delivers a legendary, career-defining performance, the first thing some fans will do is look for a reason to discredit him. For a legend like Hamed, this is an insult to the discipline required in this sport.
Hamed is the guy who shows me the bills. By insisting that no one can be charged until they are caught, he seeks to maintain some level of due process. In his eyes, if you have failed the VADA or UKAD exam, you are a pure athlete. Period.
What’s captivating is that Hamed doesn’t take it lightly. While supporting strict accountability policies, he says people should not be labeled as fraudsters without evidence. If the test comes back positive, you own it, regardless of tainted meat or supplement excuses.
This is an truthful position. He wants to protect the reputation of good actors in sports while making sure the hammer continues to fall on anyone caught breaking the rules.
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