David Benavidez’s bid to become a three-weight world champion has hit a bump in the road.

Fan favourite Benavidez has made just one defence of his WBC light-heavyweight title but will move up to cruiserweight on May 2 in Las Vegas to challenge Gilberto Ramirez for the WBA and WBO belts. He intends to drop back down in weight after the fight to resume his reign.

Benavidez, according to WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, will keep hold of his current belt since he put in a formal request and will pay a percentage of the standard sanctioning fee.

However, despite being only involved in that manner, the organisation this week announced a special prize has been created for the ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez vs Benavidez fight, which takes place on Cinco de Mayo weekend, named the ‘Tollan Tlatequi’ belt. The fighters even attended an event and faced off.

FACE OFF IN MEXICO CITY 🇲🇽#BenavidezZurdo | #MartesDeCafépic.twitter.com/oyrs8zjU6b

— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) March 10, 2026

As reported by Boxing Scene‘s Lance Pugmire, the WBO and WBA have taken serious issue with the WBC’s attempt to add a token belt, and ‘will not award their belts to the winner’ if it is on the line.

The WBC has regularly introduced special commemorative belts for high-profile bouts, separate from its recognised world championships. These one-off awards are typically tied to major events or cultural celebrations and have been presented to winners of fights involving the likes of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Tyson Fury.

However, and notably, the sanctioning body typically does this when its standard world title is on the line also – not the case for this fight, despite the champion competing.

More is expected soon at a time where the sanctioning bodies are under increased scrutiny in the sport, mainly due to the emergence of Dana White and TKO’s Zuffa Boxing, a new promotional entity set on creating its own championship and leaving the old guard to the side.

The off-ball linebacker position is one that often goes overlooked, but when teams get a good one, they can transform a defense.

The 2026 NFL Draft has a number of quality linebackers who could be in the mix for starting jobs immediately, and Anthony Hill Jr. is one of them looking to leave his mark at the NFL level.

Background

Statistics

• 2023: 67 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble (14 games)
• 2024: 113 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 1 pass defended, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery (16 games)
• 2025: 69 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 pass defended, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery (10 games)

Measurables

• Height: 6’2″
• Weight” 238
• Hand Size: 9 5/8″
• Arm Length: 32 7/8″
• 40-Yard Dash: 4.51
• 10-Yard Split: 1.58
• 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
• Vertical: 37″
• Broad Jump: 10′ 5″
• 3 Cone: N/A
• Bench” 21

It takes a talented player to step in as a starter on an SEC defense as a freshman, but that is exactly what Hill did. After spending the first half of the season getting pretty consistent snaps as a rotational defender, he took over a starting job in Week 9 of his freshman season in 2023 and never looked back.

2025 did bring a setback for hill though as he suffered a broken hand against Georgia in November. The game ended what had been a very productive season for the linebacker, and then, he suffered a hamstring injury at the NFL Combine that forced him to miss the on-field drills out of an “abundance of caution.”

Strengths

NFL teams can expect lightning in a bottle out of Anthony Hill Jr. He is an explosive athlete with great size for an off-ball linebacker at 238 pounds. He stuffed the stat sheet during his time at Texas, and it should be no different at the NFL level due to his versatility.

Hill’s greatest strength is his prowess in the running game combined with great tackling technique. He is alarmingly quick off the snap as a downhill blitzer, and as a result, he racked up tackles for loss during his collegiate career with 31.5 in 40 career games including 17 sacks.

Once he gets through the line of scrimmage, he makes his presence known with big hits, leading to eight career forced fumbles. He also has the versatility to play over the middle or drop down towards the line and play off the edge occasionally. He’ll be a great chess piece for an NFL defensive coordinator.

Weaknesses

Hill’s downhill ability to make plays near the line of scrimmage can be a blessing and a curse. He doesn’t have the most refined technique in coverage and can struggle with his hip movement.

He can also get caught looking downfield too often, biting on play action and losing the man he should be covering.

Finally, while he has prototypical size for an off-ball linebacker, the fact that he is an off-ball linebacker because noticeable at times when he goes up against bigger offensive linemen. He doesn’t do well trying to disengage from blocks.

2026 NFL Draft Projection

• NFL Draft Projection: Day 2 (Early 2nd Round)
• Team Fits: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Denver Broncos

Hill isn’t a perfect prospect by any means, but there is a ton of talent that is ready to explode at the NFL level. He is ready to step in and make some big plays at the NFL level.

Editor’s Note: Statistics from Sports Reference CFB and Pro Football Focus helped with this article.

Josh Frey is a senior writer at both PurplePTSD.com and VikingsTerritory.com, with a fascination for the NFL Draft. To … More about Josh Frey

Jimmy and Jey Uso confronted CM Punk on the recent episode of RAW. The argument was heated enough that it even ended with them exchanging blows. There were talks about how Jimmy looked genuine with a rather cool approach, while Jey was ready to fight. A wrestling veteran had a take on this, which explained everything.

Jim Cornette spoke on his podcast about the differences in The Usos. It was discussed how Jey Uso came out all raged up while Jimmy took the elderly and responsible position. Cornette stated Jimmy had to be the peacemaker while Jey stayed mad all around. He felt that the former World Heavyweight Champion overdid it and came out at a speed more than necessary.

Cornette clarified that the elder Uso was the levelheaded fellow and did his job perfectly. Even when both had the same stuff to speak, Jimmy kept up the role of keeping it together while letting his brother go over the top, as it demanded.

“Yes. One of them had to be peacemaker, and so Jey needed to be the one that was more mad, but I thought he went for he would come out at 100 miles an hour and stayed there, and that was a little bit much. But I agree with you on Jimmy being the more levelheaded fellow,” Jim Cornette said. (From 3:56 onwards)

Jim Cornette wants a Jey Uso vs. CM Punk match before WrestleMania 42

The Usos’ and CM Punk’s segment ended in an exchange of blows. Although Punkster took the big one, and The Usos were barely affected, it did light up something. Jim Cornette spoke on the same podcast, saying that now a Punk vs. Jey Uso match should be happening.

Coming from the altercation, it looked possible to hype the WrestleMania match more. Cornette saw a creative finish where the score would be settled while also adding to Punk’s bout with Roman Reigns in the Night 2 main event.