Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez was well aware of the dangers that stood before him. Yet, heading into his showdown against Dmitry Bivol, the former super middleweight belt holder wholeheartedly believed that he had more than enough in his offensive tool bag to get the job done.

With each passing round on November 5th, however, the Mexican native’s grin was flipped upside down as Bivol would go on to use bemusing angles and an endless array of moves to cruise to a unanimous decision victory.

In the immediate aftermath of his recent triumph, David Benavidez has begun flirting with the idea of moving up in weight to challenge him for his WBA light heavyweight crown.

If their mouthwatering clash comes to fruition, Ramirez, having shared the ring with Benavidez during countless sparring sessions, is unsure how their contest will play out.

“I think it’s 50-50,” said Ramirez to Fight Hub TV.

Benavidez, before completely entertaining the idea of moving up in weight, still has business to attend to at 168 pounds. On March 25th, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the hard-hitting former champion will square off against Caleb Plant.

If everything goes according to plan, Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) believes that he’ll be in the driver’s seat when it comes to landing mega showdowns against the likes of Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, David Morrell, and undisputed kingpin, Canelo Alvarez.

Once he essentially clears out the rest of the division, Benavidez reveals that he’ll wash his hands of 168 and compete moving forward at 175 pounds. A clash against Bivol, as a result, could take place sooner rather than later. Considering his familiarity with both men, Ramirez took the time to accentuate their strengths while remaining neutral on who would actually come out on top.  

“Benavidez is heavy-handed, he’s coming forward all the time. Bivol has good footwork. I think it’s a good matchup.”