By Jack Tiernan: Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya is waiting for the WBA to decide to order light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol to defend against mandatory Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
De La Hoya says Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) can get revenge for Bivol’s recent victory over former Golden Boy flagship fighter Canelo Alvarez on May 7th.
Canelo changed his mind about taking an immediate rematch with Bivol and will instead fight Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17th on DAZN PPV.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn says Canelo could face Bivol in a rematch in May 2023. That obviously will depend on how the two fighters fare in their fights this year.
If Bivol loses to his next opponent, be it Zurdo, Joshua Buatsi, or the Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr. winner, we probably won’t see a Canelo-Bivol rematch in 2023.
In that bout, the 6’0′ Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) used his size, skills, and mobility to outbox the 5’8″ Canelo to win a 12-round unanimous decision.
De La Hoya said after the contest that he’d predicted that Bivol would beat Canelo and that he’d never have made that match-up if he was still the Mexican star’s promoter.
It was a match that Canelo came close to winning, losing by the narrow scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 115-113. If Canelo were a little bit better conditioned, he would have gotten the victory.
The former WBO super middleweight champion Zurdo Ramirez recently earned his WBA 175-lb mandatory spot with a fourth-round knockout win over Dominic Boesel on May 14th.
Boxing fans criticized the WBA afterward, pointing out that Boesel fought like a fighter that shouldn’t have been ranked in the top 15, let alone at the #1 spot ahead of Zurdo, Joshua Buatsi, and Craig Richards.
“Zurdo Ramirez is next in line to fight Bivol,” said De La Hoya to Secondsout. “It’s a very likely fight to happen. We are waiting for the WBA to make their decision and make it official.
“Zurdo Ramirez has been waiting for his big shot for a while now, and this is it. So, we’re excited to position him at the very top, next in line for Bivol,” De La Hoya continued.
Zurdo Ramirez’s opposition at 175:
- Dominic Boesel
- Yunieski Gonzalez
- Sullivan Barrera
- Alfonso Lopez
- Tommy Karpency
“I think it’ll be a great fight, a fight of styles, a fight of revenge for Canelo,” said De La Hoya. “It has all the ingredients to become a special fight. We’re waiting for the WBA to make a ruling, and then we’ll take it from there.
“I did actually,” said De La Hoya when asked if he expected Bivol to beat Canelo. “In boxing, a good little man never beats a good big man. It’s just the rule of the game.
“There was too much firepower, too much leg movement, and a lot of boxing IQ from Bivol, which confused Canelo and especially when Canelo couldn’t break his guard with his punches. Then Canelo was like a deflated balloon.
“Styles make fights, and this is what happens. If I was Canelo’s promoter, I would have never put him in with Bivol. Nobody knew Bivol. Who was Bivol? Obviously, now he’s a star that beat Canelo, but it was a lose-lose situation for Canelo.
“This is a fight [Bivol vs. Zurdo Ramirez] that can make both guys that much bigger and make a superstar. This fight has the ingredients to become one of those ‘Fight of the Year’ candidates.
“Both guys are punchers, both guys are real light heavyweights, their frame is big, and they have good footwork. Zurdo Ramirez is a fighter that comes forward and throws punches and can knock you out, and the same with Bivol.
“I strongly feel that when this fight does happen, it’ll be a great fight, a great match-up,” said De La Hoya.
