The Warrior’s Inheritance: David Benavidez on Faith, Family, and the Fight Ahead
Ahead of his May 2nd cruiserweight championship bout against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez, the undefeated champion reflects on heritage, discipline, and the legacy he’s building — one round at a time. There is a particular quiet that settles over a fighter in the weeks before a championship bout — a stillness that belies the storm of preparation churning beneath it. For David Benavidez, that stillness is filled with prayer, with techno beats pulsing through his headphones on early-morning runs, and with the steady hum of a life lived in pursuit of something larger than himself.
At 28, Benavidez has already spent more than half his life as a professional boxer. Thirteen years in the ring. Two-time super middleweight world champion. Undefeated. And now, on May 2nd, he steps up in weight to face Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez for the cruiserweight crown — a fight that promises to be less a contest of styles than a collision of legacies, two Mexican-American warriors carrying the weight of generations into the squared circle.
But to understand Benavidez — really understand him — you have to look beyond the gloves. You have to look at the father who stood in a doorway one night before a tournament and told two restless boys that discipline was the difference between becoming somebody and becoming nothing. You have to look at the older brother whose fire lit the path. You have to look at the sons who now watch their father train, absorbing lessons they will one day carry into rings of their own.
You have to look at the man in the Willy Chavarría suit — stylish, deliberate, unmistakably himself — who speaks of Óscar De La Hoya and Gennady Golovkin with the reverence of a student, and of his own children with the gravity of a man who understands that everything he does now will echo.
In the conversation that follows, Benavidez opens up about the heritage that shaped him, the missteps he’s grateful for, the prayers that anchor him, and the road that brought him to this moment. He speaks of pressure without flinching, of failure without defensiveness, and of legacy with the clear-eyed conviction of someone who has already glimpsed what lies on the other side of the mountain.This is not just an interview with a fighter. It is a conversation with a man preparing — for May 2nd, yes, but also for everything that comes after.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
You’ve built a career that blends elite boxing with a strong sense of family and culture. How has your Latino heritage shaped your identity inside and outside the ring?
You know, it’s definitely shaped my identity inside and outside the ring because obviously in the ring, all the Latino men I’ve looked up to in boxing, they’ve always been warriors. They’ve always been people that take care of their family. So it’s definitely shaped me on wanting to be like my idols, the people who are idolized and also just setting a good example for the kids of the new age, the new culture, you know what I mean? What I do now is definitely going to be echoed. What I do in the ring and outside the ring is definitely going to be echoed for years to come. So is this putting on for the culture and also showing the future generation on how to be a good man and a good warrior inside the ring, as a fighter who carries the weight of expectation for both.
As a fighter who carries the weight of expectations from both fans and country, how do you balance pressurized moments with saying true to your own rhythm and style?
You know, at the end of the day, look, I don’t try to put pressure on myself. You know, I know what I’ve been doing for a long, long time. I’ve been a professional for 13 years. And I don’t like to think of pressure. You know, I just think of what I see myself as living up to the occasion and getting some, you know what I mean? These are big moments for me, but I’ve been preparing myself very well, and you know, I definitely know what to do in these types of situations.
Family is a central part of your narrative. Can you share a moment from your upbringing that still guides your decisions, both in boxing and in life?
Yeah one was with my father, my brother & I. We were gonna go to a tournament and we were supposed to go to sleep early, but me and my brother stayed up late, and my dad came in mad. And then my dad said, you know what? I’m going to tell you guys something. If you guys live with me, you guys are gonna follow the rules, you’re gonna be disciplined, but with that, you’re gonna become somebody. You know what I mean.. If you don’t follow the rules, you don’t follow the discipline, you don’t follow the work, you will never be nothing in life.
But I promise, I will show you by being with me, you’re going to be somebody in this life. And you know with that I definitely learned discipline, hard work, and I learned that you can’t make it to the top without any discipline. So, you know, that’s always something that stood out for me and my father and you know, he’s always had his faith in me and he’s always supported me. So as much support and faith that my father had in me, I want to do that for my kids and my sons.
Your fashion sense, both inside the gym and in public, has drawn notable attention. How do designers like Willy Chavarría influence your look, and what does your personal style say about your mindset before a big fight?
I mean, I have my personal style & I just like to be stylish and fashionable. You know, I’ve always liked fashion as a little kid. Willie Chavarría, he’s a big fashion designer and I’m just happy to be working with him for this fight.
Walk us through your pre-fight ritual playlist. What songs or artists are non-negotiables to set your focus, and is there a track that centers you when nerves spike?
I like techno and I like different types of music like that. I’ve come to learn that the best music for it to help me get prepared are not the ones with words, but the ones with good beats and good rhythm. I like techno and there’s good songs I like but what’s helped me set everything else apart for my rituals now that are non negotiable are my prayers. I have to say my prayers every single day and especially for my fight that intensifies. Those prayers and good music gets me ready for these moments.
Off-season discipline is crucial to maintain peak form. What are your routines for staying in shape, and how do you tailor them to the realities of family life and travel?
So my job, it doesn’t stop when my fights are over. My job is to do boxing every single day. Run at least 15 miles a week, that’s what I like to do. Running and boxing helps me get in shape and gets me ready for the next fight.
In a sport that tests every facet of temperament, who are your greatest heroes, fighters, mentors, and idols in this lifetime?
My greatest heroes and mentors, definitely the first two have to be my dad and my brother because without them, I wouldn’t be in this position I’m in. Also, my brother gave me the fire I needed when I was a little kid to allow me to see what greatness looks like. I followed in that direction. Also other people I looked up to or inspired me a lot are Oscar de La Hoya. Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady Golovkin is another fighter I sparred for a long time, a great world champion. I’ve had a lot of great role models in my life and I’ve had the privilege to be around a lot of champions and also to get a lot of information from them.
You’ve faced tough opponents and learned from setbacks. Can you describe a specific fight that changed your approach, and what you took away to apply in future bouts?
There’s no specific fight that I went back and said, “Oh, I have to work harder.” The thing about me is I’ve always given the work a lot of importance and I’m the hardest worker in boxing, there’s no doubt. And also, what got me to that point is because I have so much respect for fighters. Every time I go up against a fighter, I’m expecting them to be the best version of himself. So with me having that thought in my head and taking that approach to the fights it allows me to be ready for anybody. At the end of the day, I’d rather be over prepared than under prepared.
The road to the top is rarely linear. What’s a misstep you’re grateful for? One that forced you to rethink strategy, training, or mindset.
What I had to go through is what a lot of other great champions go through, sometimes it’s not even boxers. It’s just people that get a lot of benefits from their work from the beginning. Sometimes you just like to splurge, you like to have fun but the good thing is that I got all that out of my system when I was in my 20’s. Having those experiences helped me look back at my career and see that there’s two paths. This could happen if this path is taken and this could happen if this path is taken. So it made me smarter, it made me mature myself and I’m grateful for every experience that I’ve had in my life because it’s made me who I am today.
For young people watching you, especially aspiring boxers and immigrant or minority communities, what message or guidance would you offer to help them navigate doubt, adversity, and opportunity?
Just working extremely hard. What’s helped me get to where I’m at is the constant work, the continued belief and not accepting failure. Everybody has a choice at the end of the day, it’s how much work are you willing to put in. Some people say that they want this, they want that, but they’re not working like that but they’re not willing to change their life so they could achieve what they want to achieve. Sometimes you have to really change everything about yourself if you want to achieve a goal. The advice I could give is always stay true to yourself. Ask Jesus Christ for the strength that you need and the power that you need to be successful in your career. Be a good person overall, and just continue work hard, put your head down, even if nothing pops off the first 20 years, the first 25 years, you just got to continue working hard and definitely find something you love to do, because once you find something to love to do, when the days get extremely hard, at least you’re doing what your love you love to do.
You’re a father as well as a champion. How do your kids shape your goals, your daily routines, and your perspective on legacy and boxing?
Yeah, so my sons, they’re basically bred to become boxers and world champions. Just like how I was bred to become a boxer and world champion and just for them to have the privilege to see me accomplish all this stuff, I know it’s going to make it easier for them to accomplish what they need to accomplish because I’m basically setting an example for them.
I’m very grateful that my kids get to see me right now in my prime accomplishing everything I have to accomplish because I’m showing them that this stuff is not easy, but it’s possible. So, my sons are a big part of me, my training and all of this is for them because at the end of the day, I’m basically halfway done with my career. My kids still have their whole career to come in and take over, do what they need to do. In 10 years, it’s going to be closer to them than it is for me to start off my career. So you know, this is all basically preparation for them to become who they want to be in this life.
If there’s one lesson you want to pass to the next generation, what would it be? And how would you like your journey to be remembered as a source of inspiration?
What I want the next generation to see is you can’t be too cocky, you know what I mean? You need to be a man that’s humble but a man that’s powerful enough to do what he says he’s gonna do. Also, you can never, never, ever, ever let somebody outwork you. For you to get to the top, you have to outwork everybody. And treat everybody like how you want to be treated.
At the end of the day, we’re all human beings, nobody’s better than anybody else. You could be a nice, kind person to somebody, and then you can still do what you gotta do at the end of the day. It’s all full circle. If you treat somebody like shit, then some bad shit is going to happen to you. You always have to be a good person, a humble person, and you have to work extremely hard, and just be grateful for the blessings that you receive.
What’s your favorite fight song?
I like Headstrong by Trapt. The rocky song, Eye of the Tiger, that one’s nice. But this one, the Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes, that one’s good.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Vegas for dinner?
To be honest with you, my first big restaurant I came to when I was in Vegas, and I was the world champion was Ruth Chris. That restaurant is a great steakhouse in my opinion. That restaurant has a special place in my heart, just because of how many times I went there. So that’s one of my favorite restaurants.
What about any mental health, any practices you use?
For mental health, for the practices, it always has to be Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, we all kind of go through stuff, but if you ask Jesus Christ to bless you with confidence, with strength, you ask mother Mary to bless you with motherly energy, St. Michael to bless you with protection from all evil. You’re building a spiritual shield where it’s only going to lift you up.
Obviously, everything you have to give all glory to God, this is what I use for my spiritual health for my mental health. At the end of the day, the word has to be good in your head first before you go out there and do anything.
Favorite sauce for food?
I like A1 sauce, it’s pretty good.
What designer are you obsessed with right now?
I like Gucci. Gucci’s one of my favorites. Yeah, I want to say Gucci.
Which car is your favorite?
I like the Lamborghini Urus.
What would you love to see to do a Vegas residency?
I think he has one already, DJ Tiesto.
Do you gamble? If so, what’s your favorite game?
I don’t gamble. I hate gambling. I don’t think anybody should gamble.
Who would you want to box dead or alive?
Canelo.
And then the most expensive gift you got your wife?
A car about $200,000. But I would also say all my houses ‘cause they’re all hers anyways.
