By Allan Fox: Oscar De La Hoya is excited about his fighter Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez getting a chance to fight for a world title at 175 against WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night.
The underdog Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) challenges Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) for his belt in the headliner on Saturday, November 5 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
De La Hoya feels that Ramirez has been waiting for a long time for his shot at a belt at 175, but in reality, it’s only been three years and the reason it’s taken this long is because of the subpar opposition he’s been fighting since he moved up.
If De La Hoya wanted Ramirez to get a fast title shot against Bivol, he shouldn’t have matched him against the likes of Tommy Karpency, 39-year-old Sullivan Barrera, Yunieski Gonzalez, Alfonso Lopez, and Dominic Boesel.
Ramirez has got the size advantage over Bivol, and he’s a classic pressure fighter. With Ramirez’s massive cruiserweight-level size, it will be difficult for Bivol to control the fight as he did against the smaller Canelo Alvarez last May.
Still, Ramirez’s lack of hand and foot speed will make him vulnerable against the quicker Bivol, who will likely tattoo him with fast combinations and his powerful jab before he’s had time to react.
De La Hoya has repeatedly talked about Ramirez throwing “punches in bunches” and getting the better of Bivol with volume punching. That doesn’t seem feasible unless the Russian fighter stands perfectly still long enough for him to get his shots off.
Obviously, Bivol’s trainer will have studied Ramirez’s style, noted how large he is, and he’ll make sure that Dmitry doesn’t stand still for any length of time on Saturday night.
“A big opportunity for Zurdo Ramirez. He’s been fighting in eliminators back to back, knocking out both guys,” said Oscar De La Hoya to DAZN Boxing about Saturday’s match-up in Abu Dhabi between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
“He’s been fighting at 175 for a while now. He’s a big puncher. He’s a strong fighter. He’s a pressure fighter. He’s a southpaw. It’s the perfect opportunity against a wonderful, amazing fighter in Bivol.
“I love his style. His movement is incredible. His footwork is unbelievable, actually. It actually reminds me of a young Oscar De La Hoya with that footwork. Look, styles make fights.
“I believe that Zurdo is not only hungry, not only determined, not only waiting for this opportunity, but he has the skillset, he has the height, he has the punch, he has the speed, he has the punch output, which is going to be very important.
“Absolutely, you have to seize the moment. It doesn’t matter what part of the world you fight in. When you’re inside that ring, it’s only two fighters, two warriors, and whoever wants it more, but more importantly, whoever is prepared with a perfect game plan.
“I believe this fight is going to be all about who is determined, but who is disciplined throughout the fight if it does last 12 rounds. I believe there’s so much power inside that ring on Saturday night that I believe this fight can end in a knockout.
“I believe he was excellent in fighting Canelo. Canelo that was one-dimensional, a Canelo that was throwing only one punch at a time, a Canelo that is not a big light heavyweight. He was a fighter that was trying to knock him out with one punch. Right hand, left hook, and very predictable.
“I feel that Bivol does have all the confidence in the world going into this fight, but we have to get one thing straight here. He is not fighting a Canelo.
“The weight class is loaded. One hundred seventy-five pounds is so exciting because of Bivol, because of Ramirez. I feel that the winner of this fight can be the guy at 175. I think the winner of this fight on Saturday night will be the king of the light heavyweight division.
“So, I’m really looking forward to it. Not only because of Zurdo Ramirez is with Golden Boy. He’s a hard worker and is a great guy. He’s disciplined, he’s determined, but Bivol as well. I love his style; I love what he represents. I love his demeanor. This fight is going to be a great fight for boxing,” said De La Hoya.
