Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs), the WBC light heavyweight titleholder, is set to face the WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“I’m really excited about Cinco de Mayo weekend this year,” De La Hoya said during a press conference. “Traditionally, you’ve had great fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez, myself, Canelo Alvarez, fighting on this big weekend. But the fact that two Mexicans are fighting in the main event for the belts, it’s gonna be extra special.

“We have the first Mexican super middleweight and cruiserweight world champion on Cinco de Mayo in one corner in Zurdo Ramirez. And we know that Benavidez brings everything to the table, from round one to round 12. I expect this to be a classic Mexican war. That’s what fight fans want to see. They want to be part of a historic event. That’s exactly what this fight brings to the table.”

Like Benavidez, Ramirez was once a super middleweight champion. But after a six-fight run at 175 pounds that didn’t yield a title and included the lone loss of his career against Dmitry Bivol in 2022, Ramirez moved up to cruiserweight in 2023.

Ramirez made his division debut against Joe Smith Jr. and then became a unified champion with wins against Arsen Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith in 2024. Ramirez defended his titles in June against Yuniel Dorticos, but his four-fight campaign as a cruiserweight hasn’t featured a knockdown or a stoppage win, and he is coming off shoulder surgery in July.

Benavidez, meanwhile, will have to find his comfort zone in a new weight class capped at 200 pounds. Benavidez, The Ring’s No. 8-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, is coming off a seventh-round stoppage against Anthony Yarde in November. That fight was just his third as a light heavyweight.

“I cannot wait,” De La Hoya continued on DAZN. “David Benavidez is a tremendous fighter. I love the way he throws combinations and he doesn’t get tired. He’s a fighter who has a lot of heart.

“But he’s moving up a weight class to cruiserweight to face a sleeper who can beat him. I don’t know how, but he beats you all the time. I think it’s going to be a great fight. Benavidez is one of my favorite fighters to watch, going up against one of my favorite fighters at Golden Boy. It’s going to be a hell of a fight.”

Benavidez is listed as a -390 betting favorite, while Ramirez is a +290 underdog, according to DraftKings.

Benavidez-Ramirez headlines a pay-per-view card on Amazon’s Prime Video, DAZN and numerous cable and satellite providers in the United States ($79.99). It is included for subscribers to DAZN’s Ultimate plan ($44.99 per month).

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.