Gilberto Ramirez confirmed his future following his loss to David Benavidez, while also addressing the elbow controversy during their cruiserweight clash earlier this month.

“Zurdo” entered the bout as the defending unified champion, but was ultimately vacated of his WBO and WBA world titles following a sixth-round stoppage.

The emphatic finish came thanks to Benavidez’s sustained attack ahead becoming world champion in three divisions.

Even though it was his first fight at 200 pounds, the “Mexican Monster” showed incredible composure and hand speed, causing an unpleasant swelling to appear on his opponent’s right eye.

Ramirez, to his credit, showed great spirit in fighting through pain, but was ultimately defeated by an inherently smaller man.

Since their rivalry, video footage shows that Benavidez elbowed himself during one exchange, causing a slow-motion replay of the incident to circulate on social media.

In response, the 29-year-old insisted it was completely unintentional, although some observers tried to accuse him of using unfair tactics.

Ramirez, however, urged fans not to discredit Benavidez’s performance, while explaining w post on social media that he intends to “come back stronger.”

“Saturday didn’t go as I planned. The loss is painful – the pain is real. But I will sit with it, learn from it and come back stronger. This is not the end.

“I take my hat off to David… His success didn’t come overnight and that only motivates me more. Don’t discredit what he brought – he was the better man that night and I have nothing but respect for him and his team for the preparation they put in. Elbow or not, it’s going to be a fight at the end of the night.”

“If we ever share this ring again, I’ll be better prepared — and I’ll get my revenge. For now, I’m spending time with my family and enjoying the summer.”

At 34, it’s strenuous to predict where Ramirez will go next, and a rematch with Benavidez seems far from realistic.

Instead, the WBC featherlight heavyweight champion has entered preliminary talks for an undisputed showdown with Dmitry Bivol, who must first defeat mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30.

Bill Haney didn’t seem interested in the fight between Devin Haney and Richardson Hitchins when asked if the former IBF junior welterweight champion was on Devin’s list of potential opponents at 147 pounds.

Distinction

Hitchins has talked numerous times about moving up to welterweight and chasing bigger names in the division, including Devin Haney. Bill has made it clear that he does not see it as a priority option at this time.

Click here to sign up for our FREE newsletter

Related boxing news:

Last update: 2026/05/11 at 11:55

Teofimo Lopez has named the only fighter he believes is capable of “challenging” David Benavidez, who remains undefeated after his victory over Gilberto Ramirez.

The “Mexican Monster” dethroned Ramirez with a merciless sixth-round stoppage in his final appearance, becoming a three-division world champion, winning the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles.

Since then, many people have expressed interest in Benavidez facing former world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, or perhaps even heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk.

Although both fights undoubtedly aroused his interest, it seems much more likely that the 29-year-old will face Dmitry Bivol in an undisputed fight.

Both fighters have already held preliminary talks, which are expected to take place later this year, and Bivol is expected to successfully defend his title against Michael Eifert on May 30.

This is his first appearance since winning all four major belts in February 2025, when he took revenge on Artur Beterbiev with a majority vote.

Bivol then elected to undergo back surgery rather than make a mandatory defense of the WBC title, which is why Benavidez was subsequently elevated from “interim” to full lightweight heavyweight champion.

Earlier, Benavidez secured a hard-fought points win over David Morrell, which is partly why Lopez believes Bivol poses a worthy challenge for the high-frequency attacker.

Speaking to several media outlets, including: Fighting Hub TVLopez explained how Bivol’s style could make for an intriguing competition.

“The only person who could probably challenge him would be Bivol… just because of the distance.

“David Morrell gave him a tough fight, and that was just from the distance.”

Bivol is an expert when it comes to distance control and forward and backward movement, so Lopez sees him as a suitable challenge for Benavidez.