Gilberto Ramirez on missing weight: “This is the first and last time”

By Boxing News - 03/18/2023 - Comments

By Adam Baskin: Gilberto Ramirez says this is the “first and last time” he’ll ever miss weight after coming in overweight at 182.6 lbs for his 175-lb fight against Gabe Rosado that had been scheduled for the main event on DAZN this Saturday night at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California.

Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) was coming off a one-sided loss to Dmitry Bivol late last year, saying he was “cutting until the final moment.” 

Fans want to know why Ramirez waited until this week to start losing weight. Some fans believe Ramirez knew he would be drastically overweight but hoped that Rosado would agree to a deal for a certain amount of money to take the fight still.

If that was Ramirez’s plan, he picked the wrong guy to try and cut a deal. According to CelebrityHow, Rosado’s net worth is $10 million, as he’s been involved in numerous lucrative headliner fights against big names during his 17-year professional career.

You got to wonder if Ramirez’s recent loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol last November affected him mentally, causing him not to train as hard as he needed to for him to get down to 175.

The loss was so one-sided that you could imagine Ramirez losing his desire to return to the salt mines to start working hard like other fighters. Is Ramirez still haunted by the loss to Bivol?

With Ramirez rehydrating to over 200 pounds for his last handful of fights, he should have returned to work sooner to get his weight down. If Ramirez continues fighting in a weight class well below his frame size at 175, he’ll need to work hard to stay in this division.

Some fans believe Ramirez is avoiding the move up to cruiserweight because life will be hard for him in that weight class because everyone can punch, and he’ll no longer have the size advantage he’s enjoyed when fighting in the 168 and 175-lb weight classes.

If Ramirez feels he can’t win against fighters his size, he’ll resist going up to cruiserweight and try and stay at 175 until the bitter end.

The problem with Ramirez artificially keeping his weight below what his body frame is suited for is that he’ll be weak and likely continue to come in overweight for his fights. DAZN likely won’t continue to let Ramirez fight in the main events if he keeps missing weight and pulling out.