By Charles Brun: Light heavyweight contender Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez says he believes he can beat former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua right now with the way he’s looking in his career.
The former WBO super middleweight champion Ramirez (42-0, 28 KOs) says Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) didn’t look focused on his loss to Oleksandr Usyk last Saturday night in London, England.
Ramirez believes that Joshua will lose the rematch with Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) with the way he’s fighting right now. He says he’s willing to help former IBF/WBA/WBO champion Joshua, 31, prepare the rematch with Usyk.
Like many fighters, Ramirez sees weakness in Joshua, which has a lot to do with his belief that he could move up to heavyweight to defeat the former champion.
With two defeats in his last four fights, Joshua has reached the lowest level in his career, and the other fighters now see weakness and want to pick him off. If Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t panicking, he needs to start because his career as a top-level fighter could be over soon.
Gilberto Ramirez thinks he can beat Joshua
“I would like to fight Anthony Joshua. I think I can beat him. He’s not ready in the ring and he’s not smart and focused in the fight,” said Zurdo Ramirez on why he believes he can beat Joshua.
“I don’t know what happened in his training camp, but if he wants me to help him, I’ll help him,” Ramirez said in offering to help Joshua.
You can’t rule out a victory for Ramirez or any elite fighter from 175 to heavyweight. Joshua has looked poor in his recent fights since 2019.
Losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. was a red flag, showing that Joshua isn’t the fighter that he once was. But then again, Joshua struggled even earlier in his career in fights against Dillian Whyte and Wladimir Klitschko.
If Joshua lost to a fighter as light as Gilberto, it would be time to pack it in. Obviously, Joshua would never entertain the idea of fighting Ramirez due to the size differences between the two, but if he did fight him and lose, retirement would be the only option for him.
Ramirez wants Dmitry Bivol
“I’m waiting for Bivol, he was calling me out. I said, ‘Okay.’ Now, I’m calling him out. I’m waiting for you. I want to make it happen. I want the belt, let’s do it,” said Ramirez about wanting to take on WBA 175-lb champion Dmitry Bivol for his title.
Ramirez would have an excellent chance of beating Bivol after the way the Russian fighter performed in his last fight against Craig Richards.
Bivol looked like he was afraid of Richards, and made a fight that should have been easy much harder for him.
Canelo stops Plant
“I think Canelo,” said Ramirez in predicting a winner of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant fight on November 6th. “He will stop him in the eighth round. Body or uppercut.
“He’s strong, a smart guy, and explosive and he was great,” said ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez about his experiences of having sparred with Canelo previously. “I learned a lot. It was ten or eleven years ago. I learned defense and counter punches.”
IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant will need to raise his game for him to beat Canelo, and it’s not likely to happen.
Tyson Fury beats Wilder says, Ramirez
“I think Fury,” Ramirez said in predicting WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will beat Deontay Wilder on October 9th. “He won last time and he knows how to do it. He doesn’t have a choice now. He has to win.
“Usyk, he’s too skillful for Anthony Joshua,” said Ramirez when asked for a prediction on the rematch between Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk in 2022.
Fury has looked soft since his win over Wilder a year and a half ago, and he may not have the hunger to win on October 9th.
Ramirez predicts Benavidez stops Uzcategui
“It’s going to be a war, but I think David [Benavidez] has more skills to stop him in four or five rounds,” said Ramirez in predicting a win for David Benavidez over Jose Uzcategui on November 13th. “I know Uzcategui, he’s a friend of mine.”
