Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) came in as the WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion but had few answers for Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs), who was making his division debut as the WBC light heavyweight titleholder.

Benavidez battered and bludgeoned Ramirez's right eye and dropped him twice, but Zurdo escaped without serious injury as he was stretchered out of T-Mobile Arena to a nearby hospital for medical testing.

"The fight didn’t go the way I planned," Ramirez said Thursday on social media, his first remarks since the Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown. “The loss is painful – the hurt is real. But I’ll sit with it, learn from it, and come back stronger. This is not the end.

"No excuses. I tip my hat to David for being the fighter he was that night. 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 no elbow, it’s a fight at the end of the night."

The elbow Ramirez is referring to came during the fight-ending exchange when he was caught with an inadvertent, yet crushing left elbow from Benavidez on the chin. Ramirez, with his right eye already closed shut, retreated and took a knee for the second knockdown in the fight before referee Thomas Taylor counted him out.

"Mark my words – I’ll be back," Ramirez continued. “And if we ever share that ring again, I’ll be better prepared – and I will get my revenge.

"For now, I’m taking time with my family and enjoying the summer. To everyone who’s shown love and support – thank you. The comeback is coming.”