Turki Alalshikh wants to match Oleksandr Usyk against David Benavidez for the heavyweight championship in 2027, according to a report by Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine. The report surfaced one day after Benavidez moved up to cruiserweight and stopped Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez to claim the WBA and WBO titles in Las Vegas.

Benavidez Becomes a Three-Division Champion

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) knocked Ramirez down twice and finished the fight at 2:59 of the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night, becoming the first boxer to win world titles at 168, 175 and 200 pounds. The 29-year-old from Phoenix moved up 25 pounds for the bout and entered as a -600 favorite, according to Sky Sports.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to overpower him because it was my first time coming up to 200 pounds,” Benavidez said in his post-fight interview. “So I knew I had to use the gifts that God gave me: speed, power, movement, punch selection and IQ. That’s exactly what I did.”

CompuBox credited Benavidez with 151 of 327 total punches landed (46.2 percent) and 137 of 241 power punches (56.8 percent). Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) suffered the first stoppage loss of his 16-year career and was taken to a hospital for a head scan. Jane Murcia, communications director for Golden Boy Promotions, said Ramirez had a swollen eye and that no fracture had been determined at the time of her statement.

Full results and round-by-round details are available in the BoxingInsider report from Las Vegas.

The 2027 Plan

Coppinger’s report did not specify a date, venue, or weight terms for a proposed Usyk-Benavidez fight. The plan is positioned for 2027, which would require Benavidez to add additional weight after just one bout at cruiserweight. Benavidez said after Saturday’s fight that he intends to drop back to 175 pounds for his next outing and named Dmitry Bivol and Canelo Alvarez as preferred opponents.

Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, acquired The Ring in November 2024 and has staged the majority of the heavyweight division’s marquee events over the past two years. He also serves as the lead promoter for Usyk.

Usyk’s Next Assignment

Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBC heavyweight title against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The card, branded “Glory in Giza,” will stream on DAZN. Usyk has not fought since stopping Daniel Dubois in five rounds in July 2025 to reclaim the undisputed heavyweight championship. The WBO title has since been vacated, leaving Usyk with the WBC, WBA and IBF belts heading into the Verhoeven bout.

Usyk turned 39 in January. Benavidez turned 29 in December. A 2027 timeline would place a potential matchup roughly 18 months from the Ring report.