By Sean Jones: Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez is certain that WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is “worried” about fighting him because that’s why he hasn’t given him a title shot until it was forced upon him by the World Boxing Association ordering the fight.
Mandatory challenger Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) will take on Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) for his WBA 175-lb title this Saturday, November 5th, live on DAZN in their card at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Ramirez already has things planned out for after he defeats Bivol on Saturday. He says he wants to fight IBF/WBC/WBO 175-lb champion Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed championship unless, of course, Canelo Alvarez shows interest in fighting him.
I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were Ramirez, waiting for that to happen. It’s fair to say that Ramirez is on the same ‘do not fight’ list as David Benavidez for Canelo. So if Ramirez does win on Saturday against Bivol, his only option for a big fight is against Beterbiev, not Canelo.
It’s difficult to know how Ramirez will do against Bivol, though, because his opposition has been unimpressive throughout his long thirteen-year professional career.
The best guy on Ramirez’s resume is Jesse Hart, and he barely beat him on two occasions. I can’t say that Ramirez has improved since he edged Hart for the second time in 2018 because he looks a lot slower now than he was back then, and he’s fought nobody literally with a pulse in his five fights at 175.
With the sorry opposition Ramirez has fought, he’s the one that should be worried about his fight with Bivol because he’s taking a huge step up in class with this fight.
There are no words to describe how bad Ramirez’s opposition has been during his career, particularly since he moved up to 175. We know Ramirez looked pedestrian in his two fights against Jesse Hart, and those matches weren’t that long ago.
In Ramirez’s next-best opponent against Maxim Vlasov, he won a questionable 10 round unanimous decision in 2015. This writer had Vlasov winning the fight by two rounds, as he nailed Ramirez all night with heavy shots.
The judges scored it 96-94, 97-93, and 97-93. Vlasov was a long ways from home, so it wasn’t surprising that he got no love from the judges.
“I feel happy; I feel calm and really confident in my preparation and myself. I will become a two-time champion this Saturday,” said Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez to Fight Hub TV about his fight on Saturday, November 5th, against Dmitry Bivol.
“Because of my preparation, my whole potential, and I know what I can do in the ring. That’s why I’m so confident. Every time is different; every time, I push myself in the ring and in the gym.
“My team they push me too, and that’s why I feel so confident. I’m going to throw a lot of punches, and everyone will see my potential, and everyone will see that I can handle Dmitry Bivol. Not only him but other fighters too.
“I don’t care about the style that he has. I just care about what I’m doing and what I’m going to do this Saturday. Throw a lot of punches, like I say, and beat him a lot,” said Ramirez.
It’s going to be difficult for Ramirez to throw a lot of shots against Bivol because he’s not a stationary fighter like the guys that he’s been fighting during his career. Ramirez can throw a lot of glacially slow punches when his opponents stand still in front of him, preferably against the ropes, but a mover like Bivol is going to neutralize his offense.
“Of course, he grew up as a fighter, and he’s been having good fights, and I’m glad for him because he’s been doing a real good job,” said Ramirez about Bivol. “He’s made nine title defenses already. This is the last one for him.
“The best should fight the best. That’s the way it should be in boxing. People want to see those types of fights. Of course, he tried to do something else.
“He tried to make more money with different fights, and get another war and then try to fight me,” said Ramirez when asked if he believes Bivol has been avoiding him.
“I don’t blame him; I get it. This is boxing, and this is a business too. Now, it’s time to give the fans what people deserve. This is business. In business, you can have a little reward for you and do something and then try and fight the best because you want to do something for your legacy.
“For me, I have to fight the best. The best have to fight the best. Yeah, of course, he’s worried about me. That’s why he tried to avoid the fight.
“Like I said, it’s the type of fight that people need to see. I’m going to take everything that he has. That’s what I thought when I was there,” said Ramirez when asked about his face-off with Bivol today.
“I need to be focused all the time, and I need to be focused on what I’m doing and what I am. That’s how we focus all the time. It’s not an if; it’s I’m going to. I’m going to win,” said Ramirez when asked if he’ll face IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev if he successfully defeats Bivol on Saturday to capture his WBA belt.
“I will take everything in my hands and in my power to make this statement, and I will win for sure. Yes, I want all the belts. I want to become undisputed.
“In life, of course, make money, but as a fighter, I want to be a legend. I’m going to be a legend. That’s what I want. You have to take all the good fights, and I grew up watching these kinds of fights.
“I grew up watching Oscar, Chavez, Marquez, and Barrera. During that time, I wanted that type of fights. I want the recognition for myself and the people. Now, it’s time to do it,” said Zurdo Ramirez.
