By Jeff Aronow: Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (43-0, 29 KOs) called out WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol for a title shot following his grueling 10th round knockout victory over Yunieski “The Monster” Gonzalez (21-4, 17 KOs) last Saturday night in a WBA 175-lb title eliminator bout at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
(Photo Credit: Kevin Estrada/Golden Boy Promotions)
Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) likely won’t rush to give Ramirez a title shot because it’s a risky fight for him, and he’s not going to do him any favors. For Ramirez to get a shot at Bivol’s WBA title, the World Boxing Association will need to order the fight.
Until then, you can expect Bivol to continue to take voluntary defenses while he waits for Canelo Alvarez to challenge him. That could happen as early as next year.
Gilberto Ramirez calls out Bivol
“Yeah, of course, that’s the fight that I want,” said Gilberto to DAZN when asked if he wants to face Dmitry Bivol next. “Checkmate, let’s do it. ”
Bivol is coming off back-to-back less than stellar performances against Umar Salamov and Craig Richards. The lackluster win for Bivol against Richards could partially be overlooked due to the Russian fighter coming off a year and a half layoff.
However, there was no excuse for Bivol’s pedestrian level performance in his 12 round unanimous decision win over Imar Salamov earlier this month on December 11th.
Zurdo wants Dmitry Bivol next 👀#ZurdoGonzalez pic.twitter.com/sFFIqD0pwh
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 19, 2021
Those two fights showed that Bivol is slipping, and not the fighter that dominated Joe Smith Jr., Jean Pascal, Isaac Chilemba, and Sullivan Barrera.
For the former WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto to have a chance to defeat Bivol, he’s going to need to work on his defense.
Ramirez is getting hit too much
Gilberto was getting hit a lot in his fight with the 36-year-old Yunieski last night, and he can’t leave himself open like that against Bivol or particularly IBF/WBC champion Artur Beterbiev or WBO belt holder Joe Smith Jr.
When Zurdo Ramirez was fighting at 168, he was able to get away with having a leaky defense, but not at 175. They hit too hard in this weight class for Ramirez to be getting nailed as often as he has.
The 30-year-old ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez hurt the Cuban Gonzalez with a big shot in the tenth round, and then flurried on him until referee Rafael Ramos stepped in and stopped the contest. Immediately after the bout was halted by Ramos, Gonzalez picked up the referee in a bearhug, as if to thank him for what he did.
Earlier in the fight, Ramirez had Gonzalez badly hurt in the final seconds of the fourth round.
Somehow, Gonzalez made it out of the round and was competitive up until being stopped in the tenth. During the last six rounds, Ramirez was hit a lot by some big shots, and the outcome was un doubt until he scored the knockout.
Zurdo ready for a world title shot
Gilberto has won all four of his fights at 175 since moving up to light heavyweight in 2019 after vacating his WBO 168 lb title due to it becoming difficult for him to make weight.
Ramirez was a much better fighter at 168 than he is at 175, as his power isn’t enough for the light heavyweight division. If Ramirez is going to be forced to go 10 to 12 rounds every time to get a victory, he’s going to take a lot of punishment and that’ll shorten his career.
It remains to be seen whether Ramirez has the talent to beat Bivol or any of the other champions at 175.
“I proved that I’m ready for a world title fight and ready for Bivol to beat him,” said Ramirez. “I have power for the division. The question is, is he ready for me? Yeah, if he wants it?”
Right now, would be the best time for Ramirez to fight Bivol or one of the other champions for their belts. At 30, Ramirez is still in his prime, and his youth would give him a chance to unseat the champions if he faces them now.