Benavidez KOs Ramirez in the 6th to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles

LAS VEGAS (AP) — David Benavidez hasn't given up the dream of facing Canelo Alvarez — and now he might have leverage.

Benavidez put on a show with Alvarez sitting ringside on Saturday night, moving up 25 pounds in weight and dominating former sparring partner Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.

He twice sent Ramirez to the canvas, including knocking him out at 2:59 of the sixth round to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles and become the first boxer to win championships at 168, 175 and 200 pounds.

Benavidez (32-0, 26 knockouts) not only remained undefeated, but showed why he was a -600 favorite over Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs).

Ramirez was taken to a hospital to receive a head scan, according to Jane Murcia, communications director for Golden Boy Promotions.

“He’s in good spirits and has a swollen eye,” Murcia said. “There’s no determination of a fracture at this point.”

In the co-main event, WBA super middleweight championship fight, Jaime Munguía (46-2, 35 KOs) upset title holder Armando Reséndiz (16-3, 11 KOs) by winning a resounding unanimous decision. Reséndiz was a -200 favorite, but Munguía — the former WBO junior middleweight champ — was the aggressor from the start and won by scores of 117-111, 119-109 and 120-108.

“It feels great to have this championship belt with me, but this is just the beginning," Munguía said. "I’m excited for what comes next. We are ready for big challenges and great fights.”

Benavidez has chased Canelo with hopes of setting up a showdown, but Alvarez never agreed to it and it has been looking unlikely to happen.

Maybe now it's different, and Benavidez didn't waste the opportunity to make the case yet again.

“I see Canelo in the building. Let me just ask the fans this. Do you guys want to see Canelo versus David Benavidez?" the man known as “The Mexican Monster” asked, drawing a roar from the crowd.

“Enough said. That means we can’t leave that fight on the table. I have respect for Canelo. He’s a great champion. I’m a great champion, too. Let’s do it.”

Benavidez said he would be willing go back down in weight to make it happen.

“I’m still champion at 175," Benavidez said. “I’m champion at 175 and 200. So if they want to come get it at 175, let’s get it at 175.”

Boxing fans, or least those who support Benavidez, haven't forgotten how Canelo has yet to take on the match. Alvarez, wearing a black Munguía T-shirt, was booed all three times he was shown on the large video board. Benavidez, who was born in Phoenix and lives in Miami, later was cheered while shown going through prefight preparations.

He then gave his fans plenty more to cheer about and they reciprocated by regularly chanting his nickname “Monstruo” in the Cinco de Mayo weekend showcase fight.

Benavidez, even when being backed down by Ramirez, delivered his signature rapid-fire combinations, usually pelting his opponent's head. A right hand to Ramirez's head in the fourth staggered him, and Benavidez went for the knockout but settled for the knockdown at the end of the round when Zurdo went down to his left knee.

Then two rounds later, Ramirez again went to a knee. This time, the fight was over.

“We came up together," Benavidez said. "We came up sparring together. I got him ready for his world championship fights. He got me ready for my world championship fights. I just want to say I love Zurdo Ramirez, but, you know, it is what it is in here. There’s only one ‘Monster.’”

And now the 29-year-old Benavidez can make a credible argument after dominating the 34-year-old Mexican that he one of the sport's best pound-for-pound boxers if not right at the top.

The statistics underscored how much Benavidez owned the fight.

According to Compubox, he landed 151 punches at a 46.2% to 89 for Ramirez, who reached his target on 19.8% of attempts. The power punches were 137-64 and the percentage 56.8-27.7.

“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. “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.”

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing

David Benavidez talks to media after his victory over Gilberto Ramirez, not pictured, in a cruiserweight championship boxing match Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Thomas Taylor gives a count to Gilberto Ramirez in a cruiserweight championship boxing match Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

David Benavidez punches Gilberto Ramirez in a cruiserweight championship boxing match Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

David Benavidez reacts after knocking down Gilberto Ramirez in a cruiserweight championship boxing match Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Jaime Munguia punches Armando Resendiz in a super middleweight championship boxing match Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

David Benavidez, left, faces off with WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez during a ceremonial weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Colombian superstar Shakira will give a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night in an event that Brazilian officials expect to draw some 2 million people to one of the world’s most iconic waterfronts.

The performance follows similar shows by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga last year — also attended by huge crowds that danced on the sprawling sands. For Shakira, it's part of her " Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” or “Women No Longer Cry,” world tour, named after her 2024 album.

The Latina pop star said in an interview with Brazil’s TV Globo that she expects the Copacabana concert to be the biggest of her career.

“For me it’s a dream. I always dreamed of singing on this beach, because I think it’s a magical place,” she said in Portuguese, adding that she learned the language before English.

When she first performed in Brazil in the 1990s, she established an amazing connection with the Brazilian public, according to Felipe Maia, an ethnomusicologist pursuing a doctoral degree on popular music and digital technologies at Paris Nanterre University.

That success in Brazil “has a lot to do with the fact that she comes from Colombia, a country whose culture has many similarities with Brazil,” Maia said, adding that Saturday’s performance “crowns the relationship she has had with Brazil for a very long time.”

Erica Monteiro, a 38-year-old accountant, said she has listened to Shakira since childhood.

“For me she represents the strength of our Latino community,” Monteiro said ahead of the concert. “We’re treated as if we were inferior but in fact we have much more strength.”

By Saturday morning, crowds had started piling onto the beach to nab a good spot for the show. Street vendors sold sweetcorn and other Brazilian snacks, bottled water and caipirinhas, the popular Brazilian cocktail — but also toilet paper, deodorant and even bags of sand for concert goers to stand on to get a better view of the stage set up opposite Copacabana Palace, a historic luxury hotel.

Street vendor Simone Paula da Cunha arrived on the beach on Friday evening, hoping to sell all the beer and water bottles she had bought ahead of the show — and make about $100 in all.

Despite her evident fatigue, da Cunha was excited at the prospect of seeing Shakira live. “I remember her from when she still had black hair," she said. "I'm a huge fan of hers.”

DJs were slated to start performing on the beach in the late afternoon. Shakira’s set is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. local time and is expected to last around two hours. After the performance, another DJ will take to the stage — a new addition to keep the crowds entertained and help with an orderly exit, according to city officials.

The free concerts are part of City Hall's attempt to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and before the monthlong Saint John’s Day celebrations in June.

“For us, parties are serious business. Because parties generate jobs, income, development, and identity for the city,” Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said on Wednesday as he presented the city’s operational plan for the event. “Our investment in this show will give us a financial return 40 times greater,” he said.

Shakira’s performance could generate around 777 million reais (around $155 million), according to a study by City Hall and Riotur, the municipality’s tourism company, thanks to the influx of tourists and cash spent in restaurants, hotels and shops.

More tourists headed to Rio in the month of May in the years with shows — 2024 and 2025 — compared to 2023, according to City Hall data. In 2024, the growth was 34.2% on May 1, just ahead of the concerts, compared to the previous year. In 2025, the increase was 90.5% compared to 2023.

Ahead of Shakira’s performance, Airbnb said in an April 22 statement that it was seeing an increase in guests expected to travel from different parts of Brazil, Latin America and even European capitals such as Paris and London.

Wanderson Andrade, a 30-year old architect, said he flew in especially for the show from the city of Goiana in central Brazil on Saturday and will fly back the following day.

“I tried to get tickets to see her in Brazil last year but I didn't succeed,” said Andrade, who's first-ever tattoo is a wolf in honor of Shakira. “Today is a dream come true.”

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Fans pack the shores of Copacabana Beach to watch a free concert by Shakira in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Synchronized drones display illuminated images of Colombian pop star Shakira before her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Fans pack the shores of Copacabana Beach to watch a free concert by Colombian pop star Shakira in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Colombian pop star Shakira performs during her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Colombian pop star Shakira performs during her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Colombian singer Shakira rehearses a day ahead of her free concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Colombian singer Shakira waves to fans during a rehearsal a day ahead of her free concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Colombian singer Shakira and Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso, second left, take part in a rehearsal a day ahead of Shakira's free concert, on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Colombian singer Shakira and Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso take part in a rehearsal a day ahead of Shakira's free concert, on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Colombian singer Shakira and Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso take part in a rehearsal a day ahead of Shakira's free concert, on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)