By Adam Baskin: Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez have 3 days to go before they meet in their crucial battle this Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
The undefeated Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) defends his WBA light heavyweight title in one of his toughest career tests against Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) live on DAZN for their 1:30 p.m. ET event at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Bivol, 31, is highly motivated for his fight against the 6’3″ ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez despite it being a massive step down in terms of fan interest from a previous bout against Canelo Alvarez last May.
Bivol wants to become the undisputed 175-lb champion, and he knows he can’t afford to lose to the 31-year-old former WBO super middleweight champion Ramirez if he’s going to achieve that goal.
At the same time, Bivol recognizes how talented Ramirez is and that he’s not the type of fighter that he can afford to overlook.
Ramirez is a pressure fighter with good power, who stalks his opponents, and wears them down with his volume punching & nonstop pressure.
Bivol doesn’t possess the power to bang a fighter like Zurdo Ramirez out, so he’s going to need to stay on his bike and throw fast combinations the entire fight if he’s to have his hand raised at the end.
“I think because of the size of the fight, the size of the show, I think the answer is, no,” said Eddie Hearn to Secondsout when asked if Dmitry Bivol is having a hard time getting motivated for Saturday’s contest against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez because it’s a big letdown from his previous match against Canelo Alvarez.
“Bivol is looking at two fights if he comes out of this. One is Canelo Alvarez, and the other is the undisputed fight against [IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur] Beterbiev. He’s in a great position.
“He doesn’t want that run to stop now. This is a very dangerous fight,” said Hearn.
“I shared the ring with so many fighters in Mexico, but the toughest opponent is myself,” said Ramirez to Matchroom Boxing. “They didn’t see what we did before to get in the fight.
“That’s my main goal to be a legend because a legend never dies if you believe in yourself. But you have to work, have dedication, and decision,” said Ramirez.
