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Gilberto Ramirez compares sparring Canelo and David Benavidez: “He has power”

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Gilberto Ramirez has sparred Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez, both at different stages of his career, and credits one of them for hitting particularly hard.

Unified world cruiserweight champion Ramirez will face Benavidez on May 2, defending his WBO and WBA titles at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Since suffering his only professional blemish, a points loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022, Ramirez has firmly cemented himself as an elite operator at 200lbs.

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Consecutive victories over Arsen Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith saw him topple two world champions in 2024, before defending his titles via another unanimous decision, this time against Yuniel Dorticos, in June 2025.

Benavidez, meanwhile, secured two-division world title status last year after being upgraded from ‘interim’ to full WBC light-heavyweight, with Bivol having relinquished his belt.

The 29-year-old then made a maiden defence of his crown in November, stopping Anthony Yarde in round seven, which led to him negotiating a cruiserweight clash with Ramirez.

During his time as the WBC ‘interim’ champion at 168lbs, many felt that Canelo, the then-super-middleweight king, was avoiding a mandatory title defence against Benavidez.

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But while we can only imagine how a matchup between Alvarez and Benavidez would unfold, Ramirez has kindly offered an insight into his sparring sessions with the both of them.

Speaking with Fight Hub TV, the 34-year-old hinted at the power being more apparent with Canelo than it was with his next opponent.

“[The sparring was] way different because Canelo is short and, at that time, I was [at] 168[lbs]. I was super skinny.

“Then I moved up [in weight] and moved to the US, and I started sparring with David and different guys – bigger guys.

“Canelo – he’s good. He has power; he has a lot of faints; he moves really well. And Benavidez, he presses you all the time; you don’t have time to breathe. You have to just keep going. And [Benavidez] likes to be [on the] inside.”

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Ramirez shared rounds with Canelo during his reign as the WBO super-middleweight champion, while the Benavidez sparring seemingly came following his brief excursion to 175lbs.

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“I’m done” – Brooks Koepka makes an honest assessment of his golf game following Round 2 of Cognizant Classic 2026

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Brooks Koepka did just enough to stay in the tournament at the 2026 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, but he made it clear he expects much more from himself. Playing his hometown event for the first time since 2022, the five-time major champion fought back in Round 2 to safely make the cut.

He started the week with a rough 74 (+3), recording two birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey. Koepka improved sharply on Friday, carding a 66 (−5) with six birdies and only one bogey. That lifted him to two under par through 36 holes, tied for 29th.

Despite the improvement, Koepka was not satisfied with simply making the weekend. Speaking after the round, he admitted he isn’t happy with how he’s playing.

“If I’m out here to try to make cuts, I’m probably done. I just need to putt like I did the first day and then putt like I did today. I have a feeling the putting will come around, but just been hitting it really good, so just nice to see a red number.”

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This week’s performance is better than his first two starts since returning to the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka finished T56 at the Farmers Insurance Open and missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open. He came into the event ranked No. 263 in the world and is still trying to get back to his best form.


Brooks Koepka pointed to course changes ahead of the tournament

Before the event started, Brooks Koepka spoke about how different PGA National feels compared to the version he used to play. The 35-year-old first played here in 2014 and hardly missed it before joining LIV Golf, so this week marks his eighth appearance at the event.

Ahead of his return, Koepka said several changes have softened what was once one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour.

“The course has changed so much, I think, from when I last played it, being overseeded,” he stated.

He also pointed out that shots around the greens should be easier than before, when thick rough made it almost impossible to predict how the ball would come out.

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“Chipping around the greens has gotten a lot easier. The rough is down a little bit. It was so difficult because if you got in the rough here, you had to judge whether it was going to be a 30-yard flier or just come out 30 percent of its normal distance.

Brooks Koepka came into the week ranked sixth on Tour in strokes gained around the green, so those changes looked like they could suit his game.

After two rounds, though, his numbers show a mixed performance. He has gained 0.437 strokes off the tee (55th) and 2.384 on approach (21st), but lost 2.475 around the greens (113th). His putting has been solid at +1.858 (25th). Overall, he is tied for 31st with 2.425 strokes gained total and has hit 14 of 28 fairways, a 50 percent mark that ranks tied for 76th.