Four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. has doubled down on his prediction ahead of David Benavidez’s intriguing cruiserweight title challenge against reigning and unified 200lb champion, Gilberto Ramirez.
Jones became the second fighter to have claimed a middleweight world title and a heavyweight crown, after Bob Fitzsimmons, with James Toney repeating the feat in 2005 but being removed from that elite club after a failed drug test.
Now, David Benavidez is looking to accelerate through the divisions in similar fashion. Having held belts at both super-middleweight and light-heavyweight, he is now challenging ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez for the cruiserweight crown.
When the fight was announced back in November, Jones shared his belief that ‘The Mexican Monster’ would come out on top and hand Ramirez just a second career defeat.
“He [Benavidez] going to beat Zurdo. He wanted Zurdo a long time ago, and I think he going to beat Zurdo.”
With fight week approaching fast, Jones further explained why he thinks Benavidez will dethrone the cruiserweight poster boy, with the fact that the pair have sparred leading Jones to believe that Benavidez has seen a weakness to exploit, he told FightHype.
“He sparred with Zurdo, so he knows what he is dealing with. I think that he would deal with him anyway, but he knows what he is dealing with. If I knew what I was dealing with, I would go get it too, if I knew him!”
Zurdo-Benavidez takes place on Saturday May 2, and will be available to watch live on Amazon Prime Video PPV, with Jaime Munguia challenging for the WBA super-middleweight world title in the co-main event.
