David Benavidez has been accused of using “dirty” tactics to secure his “questionable” wins, while also choosing to face Gilberto Ramirez instead of a formidable knockout artist.
‘The Mexican Monster’ dethroned Ramirez with a sixth-round stoppage victory last month, becoming a three-division world champion by claiming the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles.
Prior to that, Benavidez had successfully defended his WBC light-heavyweight title in November, scoring a similarly destructive seventh-round finish over Anthony Yarde.
There has been a somewhat mixed response to his performance against Ramirez, however, with the majority of observers hailing the 29-year-old’s emphatic display.
Others, meanwhile, have attempted to discredit Benavidez’s victory by highlighting his use of the elbow, to which he has responded by insisting that no such infringement was intentional.
Nevertheless, repeated accusations have been made against the Mexican-American, with Artur Beterbiev being among those who believe he is a “dirty” fighter.
The former undisputed champion has also told Match TV, via quotes reposted by Ring Magazine, that Benavidez swerved their potential light-heavyweight showdown.
“Benavidez is the type of guy who talks a lot. [I think] his boxing is dirty, and [that] some of his wins are questionable.
“I agreed to fight him after [his victory over Yarde]. His team apparently didn’t expect me to agree so quickly, so they immediately changed their mind and chose Ramirez.”
Artur Beterbiev shares his thoughts on David Benavidez 👀 pic.twitter.com/OzX0BXOiQP
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) June 4, 2026
Beterbiev claimed all four major titles with a majority decision victory over Dmitry Bivol in October 2024, only to lose by the same verdict in their rematch the following February.
The 41-year-old was then supposed to face Deon Nicholson on the undercard of Benavidez-Yarde, perhaps with a view to call out the main-event winner.
For whatever reason, though, Beterbiev has remained out of action since his second encounter with Bivol.
