By Vince Dwriter: Undefeated WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol returns to the ring on Saturday, November 5, as he will make his 10th consecutive title defense against the number one ranked WBA contender Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at 1:30 pm ET, live on DAZN.
Dmitry Bivol is a man who has become accustomed to being a champion. As an amateur in 2013, he won a gold medal at the World Combat Games, and during the course of his professional career, he’s held the WBA light heavyweight title since 2017. The last time Bivol was in the squared circle, he made an accomplishment that took over eight years to duplicate.
Back in 2013, Floyd “Money” Mayweather took Canelo Alvarez to school, and he did it by utilizing an impeccable defense and a well-balanced offense. Six months ago, in May 2022, class was back in session, as Bivol used a similar blueprint.
During his match against the pound-for-pound king, Dmitry Bivol threw his jab early and often. Bivol did a nice job of controlling the distance, being the aggressor, coming forward, and landing the 1-2 combination, but he was equally effective when he needed to fight off his back foot.
From a defensive standpoint, Bivol was able to use the high guard to deflect Canelo Alvarez’s attempts at landing the hook and the uppercut.
Throughout the 12-round contest, Bivol stayed technically sound, disciplined, and defensively responsible. He fought a near-perfect fight, as he used all the key ingredients needed to collect a unanimous decision victory and hand Canelo Alvarez the second loss of his professional boxing career.
Now Dmitry Bivol is faced with a big challenge, both literally and figuratively. Standing at 6 foot 2, the undefeated challenger Zurdo Ramirez is a light heavyweight that is known to rehydrate up to as high as 203 pounds on fight night. Ramirez is a high-volume puncher, and he’s a master when it comes to sustaining a consistent body attack.
When Zurdo Ramirez and Dmitry Bivol finally meet inside the squared circle, most fight fans and boxing pundits anticipate it will be a bout filled with several entertaining moments. Bivol wants to win so he can continue living his dream, but he realizes the fact that Ramirez is a very difficult opponent.
“I think about my dream. I try to realize my whole potential. I try to be hungry and angry every time and be focused on training for my opponent, and I try to think about this Saturday will be the hardest fight of my career,” Bivol stated during the final press conference.
Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) has experienced an impressive reign as the WBA light heavyweight champion, but to fulfill his ultimate dream, that requires Bivol to obtain some additional hardware. If Bivol is successful on November 5, he may pass on the Canelo rematch and pursue an undisputed light heavyweight championship bout versus WBC, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
