By Jake Tiernan: Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will be attempting to bounce back from his recent loss to Dmitry Bivol when he fights Gabe Rosado this month in a 12 round fight on March 18 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. The card will be shown on DAZN starting at 8:00 ET.
Against WBA light heavyweight champion Ramirez says he used the wrong game plan by trying to box instead of coming forward to apply pressure.
Ramirez, 31, doesn’t say why he didn’t adapt when he fell behind early on because it was obvious from the jump that he had no chance of besting Bivol while trying to box him.
It’s going to take Ramirez a while for him to ramp up again for a second-world title shot at 175. How he expects to get pushed up the light heavyweight rankings by fighting a middleweight journeyman like Gabe Rosado is beyond me.
If Ramirez is going to fight this kind of opposition, it’s going to take him many years to work his way back to a #1 mandatory position for a rematch against Bivol, and I don’t see it happening in this lifetime. It’s a pipe dream on Ramirez’s part.
The former WBO super middleweight champion Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) is friends with Rosado (26-16-1, 15 KOs), and the two plan on going to Puerto Rico after their fight.
Still, Ramirez isn’t letting his friendship with Rosado get in the way of fighting as hard as he can to win the fight and keep moving towards his goal of becoming a world champion at light heavyweight.
In the co-feature bout, former super featherweight champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (32-3-1, 15 KOs) fights Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs) in a bout at 135 scheduled for 12 rounds.
Zurdo Ramirez vows to become world champion again
“I feel really excited about my comeback. I have a lot of respect for Gabriel Rosado because I know him since I was young,” said Gilberto Ramirez to K.O. Artist Sports. “I watch the fights. After the fight, we’re going to Puerto Rico.
“Now we’re going to fight each other. We’re friends, but in the ring, we have to win.
“It was a great night for him. I don’t take anything away from him. I did little things wrong, but in my next fight, I’ll come back. I’ve got hunger, and I will become world champion.
“I think he has to move a little forward, and that’s all he needs,” said Ramirez when asked what Canelo Alvarez must do in the rematch to defeat Dmitry Bivol.
“He has a good style, and it’s a fight that people want to see, and I want the rematch too.
“It’s 50-50, and it’s a great match-up for boxing fans,” said Ramirez when asked who wins the undisputed light heavyweight clash between Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
“I want to fight both of them because I want to be a world champion, and those are two world champions. I have to pass through them.
“I think it’s going to be a good night for David Benavidez,” said Ramirez when asked his thoughts on the March 25th fight between Benavidez and Caleb Plant on Showtime PPV.
“I like him, and I like his style, and I think he can stop him. I think by going forward,” said Zurdo Ramirez about what Benavidez must do to stop Plant.
Ramirez learned from loss to Bivol
“I learned a lot from my first career loss against Bivol,” said Ramirez. “He is a great fighter; I don’t take anything away from him. He had a good night, and I didn’t.
The plan was to box him and step away from my usual forward fighting style. I do want the rematch; that is the plan. But, we will take care of business on March 18 and start thinking about my career’s next steps afterward.”
“I am not afraid to go to the U.K. to fight Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde, or Joshua Buatsi. I want to fight the best and become a world champion again,” said Ramirez.