By Adam Baskin: Eddie Hearn will be asking the WBA for an alternative fight for light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol against Joshua Buatsi in October instead of the WBA-ordered match with Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
There’s arguably more money involved for Bivol to face Buatsi than Ramirez, so it makes sense for him to go in that direction for his next fight in October.
If Hearn gets his way, Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) will wait and face the Bivol vs. Buatsi winner. It’s not a big deal.
The 31-year-old former WBO super middleweight champion Zurdo Ramirez has waited three years to get a title shot without really fighting anyone of note during that time, so it won’t be that much trouble for him to wait a little longer.
It’s not as if Ramirez can fight Canelo Alvarez if he gets his hands on the WBA 175-lb title, as the Mexican star wants/needs the rematch with Bivol. Likely, Canelo will never fight again at 175 after he faces Bivol in their rematch.
“We will have the right to request an alternative fight, an exemption, which we will file with the WBA,” said Hearn to the DAZN Boxing Show this week about his intention of asking the WBA to allow Bivol to face Buatsi next instead of Zurdo.
“We already had plans on making the Joshua Buatsi fight in October. So, we’ll speak to the WBA, and Golden Boy will put their argument forward. Whatever way the decision pans out, we’ll have to accept,” said Hearn.
Even if Zurdo Ramirez gets his hands on the WBA title, he’ll be limited to making defenses against these fighters:
- Joshua Buatsi
- Craig Richards,
- Joe Smith Jr.
- Callum Smith
Those guys will immediately beat the excruciatingly slow Ramirez and send him back into the contender ranks.
Ramirez should be thankful the World Boxing Association has given him the #1 ranking with their organization, considering he still hasn’t fought anyone approaching elite level in the three years since he moved up in weight from 168 to 175 in 2019.
Zurdo Ramirez has taken the backdoor to get to the #1 spot, and it’s kept him from losing to talented contenders like Craig Richards, Joshua Buatsi, and Callum Smith.
“Well, the fight has been ordered,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya to ABN Sports Media about the WBA ordering their 175-lb champion Dmitry Bivol to defend against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez next.
“We have a certain amount of time to negotiate and make the [Bivol vs. Zurdo] fight happen,” Oscar continued. “So, Bivol has no promoter, zero promoters.
“We’re dealing with Bivol’s manager, Dmitry [Kornilov], and I strongly feel it’s going to be relatively easy to make that fight happen. We all want that fight, and we can see that fight in the fall on DAZN.
“Hopefully, Zurdo Ramirez can avenge the loss for Canelo and for Mexico,” said De La Hoya.
Who will avenge Ramirez’s loss if he gets beaten by Bivol?
