By Sean Jones: Dmitry Bivol is ready to give Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez a boxing lesson on November 5th after doing a job on the popular Canelo Alvarez last May.
Canelo says he wants a rematch with Bivol to try and avenge his defeat, but with him actively rooting for Zurdo Ramirez to beat him, he betrays his true thoughts about a second fight.
Additionally, Canelo saying he won’t fight Bivol again if he loses to Ramirez is the clincher to indicate that he doesn’t want a second schooling from him. For Canelo, once was more than enough.
Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) will defend his WBA light heavyweight title against his mandatory Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) on DAZN at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi.
Ramirez, 31, doesn’t have much to offer in this fight regarding personality, charisma, speed, movement, or boxing ability.
What he does have is cruiserweight size, which may help him in the first few rounds before he fades due to the massive amount of water weight that he’ll be shedding in making the 175-lb limit the day before the fight.
Also, Ramirez is sacrificing a lot of muscle in trimming down in weight because he looks considerably lighter now than he did during the kick-off press conference.
When a fighter like Ramirez fights out of his natural weight class, it takes a lot out of them. Ramirez should arguably be at cruiserweight, but that division is a totally dead one with no fan interest to speak of.
So instead of Ramirez fighting at cruiserweight and being overlooked by fans, he’s melting down to 175 to fight the popular Bivol.
Then he’ll likely rehydrate to over 200+ lbs on the night of the fight as he did in his last contest against German fighter Dominic Boesel last May.
“I think really the Canelo-Bivol fight was about the challenge of the weight, but Dmitry Bivol is a man that has been talked about in boxing for a long time as someone that has ability well beyond the opposition that he’s faced,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, discussing Dmitry Bivol’s upset win over Canelo Alvarez.
“There was always danger in that fight that this guy was really good. This guy was not just a world champion. This guy was the best in the division. This guy was a pound-for-pound great, and he went on to prove it on Cinco de Mayo [by beating Canelo.
“I think Canelo Alvarez; I’m sure he had his problems in camp, and people do. I think what we saw was a pound-for-pound great in Dmitry Bivol. He was just too big, too strong, and maybe too good on the night for Canelo Alvarez.
“There were a lot of people in boxing that it didn’t surprise, but it probably did surprise Team Canelo. I think the atmosphere when people realized that Canelo Alvarez was in a real fight, it was bubbling.
“Then, as the fight progressed, Dmitry Bivol began to run away from the fight. It was depressing for the Mexican fans. Dmitry silenced them and used his size and his skills to win rounds and dominate the fight against Canelo Alvarez.
“When you look at the reaction of Dmitry Bivol after the fight, it really says, ‘This didn’t surprise me.’ Ice running through this man’s veins. I don’t think his pulse ever really changes. He’s ice-cold.
“He’s a dangerous man, and he’s ready for all comers. I think what Dmitry Bivol proved that night is not only is he a pound-for-pound great, but in my opinion, he’s the #1 175-pounder in the world.
“Of course, he wants to be undisputed to fight against Artur Beterbiev, but right now, he faces arguably one of the toughest tests of his career in Zurdo Ramirez, a true 175-pounder.
“He’s a former super middleweight champion, undefeated as well, and wants to create his own legacy in the sport and beat a pound-for-pound great in Dmitry Bivol.
“It’s interesting. On one hand, Canelo Alvarez wants Zurdo to win for Mexico, and on the other hand, he wants Bivol to win so he can get his hands on him for the rematch. Bivol must win to get that Canelo Alvarez rematch.
“Maybe he [Bivol] wants to go on a fight for undisputed as well, but Zurdo may be looking for the victory to push his own narrative for a Canelo fight. There’s so much in place on so many levels.
“I think this is the perfect fight to kick off the championship series, a true epic match-up at 175 pounds. A pound-for-pound great in Dmitry Bivol against a fantastic undefeated fighter in Zurdo Ramirez.
“Such an important fight for the division, such an important fight for boxing. A huge undercard with plenty of world championship action. Like I said, a perfect way to kick off the champion series in Abu Dhabi,” said Hearn about the Bivol vs. Ramirez fight.
