By: Sean Crose

This year Cinco de Mayo weekend did not have the kind of names boxing fans were used to finding in and around the Mexican holiday. The weekend after all was traditionally the personal property of one Canelo Alvarez for years. Canelo kept away from the weekend this year, however. Therefore, the premier names this Cinco de Mayo were distinctly not as big as his. Still, David Benavidez and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez were popular and highly skilled. They may not have been household names, but they were exciting enough for fans to want to see square off in the ring.

At stake was Ramirez’ WBO and WBA  cruiserweight titles. Although he was the defending champion, Ramirez found himself a bit in the shadows in the lead-up to the fight. The hard-hitting Benavidez after all had a style that brought in attention. Plus there were those who felt that Canelo outright avoided Benavidez for fear of facing someone of Benavidez’ talent and power. Ramirez however appeared to take it all in stride. He was after all the defending champion. What’s more his only loss had come to the great Dimitri Bivol… no small thing. Could he keep Ramirez from grinding him down, however?

The truth was he couldn’t. Benavidez simply proved too fast, too strong and just too tough for Zurdo…and that’s quite notable because Ramirez is a very tough and game opponent. There was a reason he had two world titles, a good reason. Benavidez however, made it clear on Saturday night that he was someone special, that he was an all-star in the making. Scratch that. He was an all-star who had finally arrived. The DAZN broadcast team spoke as if Benavidez were the new face of boxing after the fight. They may well have been right. The guy is exciting in the ring, and he’s a good presence on television. He might well appeal to a wide swath of Mexican and American fans if he where to become a spokesman for a popular product like Gatorade. Can his reputation and popularity go beyond boxing and into the world of the casual fan? That may well be the case.

“Do you guys want to see Canelo versus David Benavidez?” the new champion asked the Vegas crowd after the fight on Saturday. Not surprisingly, the fans roared their approval. “Enough said,” Benavidez stated. Enough said indeed. In truth though, even Benavidez knows that a fight with Canelo is at this point not particularly likely. Yet at this point it may not even matter. Make no mistake about it, Benavidez is – as things stand – Hall of Fame bound.

The truth is that this was the best Cinco de Mayo main event in years. That’s no knock on Canelo, or Floyd Mayweather before him. It’s just essentially a fact. Benavidez brings what the fans like, and that’s destruction. No wonder Mike Tyson walked him into the ring. Stylistically speaking they’re kindred spirits. Their styles may not be exactly the same… but they’re kindred spirits nonetheless.

Benavidez has essentially been a bit like a shark, circling and circling, waiting for a chance to strike. He hasn’t gotten that Canelo fight, but now he’s succeeded at a major pay-per-view event during one of the biggest boxing weekends of the year. This particular shark to be sure knows what to do when it comes time to strike. Benavidez is no longer just circling like a great white, he’s now the big fish in the cruiserweight division as well as in the light heavyweight division. He’s going to be around for a while, folks. It’s hard to see him being beat, although a battle with light heavyweight Bivol might be quite the task. No doubt, however, Benavidez as will set out to prove he’s up to the occasion.