Gilberto Ramirez and Robin Safar have struck a deal to fight for Zurdo's WBA and WBO cruiserweight world titles on Jan. 16 in Palm Desert, California, sources tell The Ring.

The fight will be paired with the Alexis Rocha-Raul Curiel rematch on DAZN. Zurdo must win to keep his planned May 2 fight with David Benavidez intact.

After Benavidez stopped Anthony Yarde in Round 7 of Saturday’s The Ring IV main event in Riyadh, he announced he would move up 25 pounds and chase a title in a third weight class with a fight vs. Ramirez.

Benavidez, The Ring’s No. 2 boxer at 175 pounds, was making the first defense of his WBC light heavyweight title. The victory was Benavidez’s first inside the distance at light heavyweight after two decision wins.

Ramirez, like Benavidez, is a former super middleweight titleholder. The Mexican moved up to 175 pounds and was routed in a light heavyweight title bid vs. Dmitry Bivol in 2022.

Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) is The Ring’s No. 1 boxer at 200 pounds (Jai Opetaia is The Ring’s cruiserweight champion.) Ramirez, 34, scored a unanimous-decision victory over former titleholder Yuniel Dorticos in June. Afterward, he underwent shoulder surgery.

Safar, like Ramirez, is promoted by Golden Boy. The 32-year-old Swede, who fights out of Las Vegas, became a contender at 200 pounds when he upset former champion Sergey Kovalev via decision in May 2024 in Riyadh. Safar (18-0, 13 KOs) dropped Kovalev in the 10th and final round.

Safar is rated No. 9 by The Ring at cruiserweight.

Benavidez, a Mexican-American, is slated to meet Ramirez in a Cinco De Mayo showdown, the boxing holiday reserved for boxing’s top stars. This week, Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) has been vocal about his desire to wrest away the date from Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s top attraction.

The Ring’s Manouk Akopyan reported earlier this month that Ramirez would stage a tune-up fight Jan. 16.