A new look is provided to Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez ahead of his next fight.
The former WBO super middleweight titlist and current light heavyweight contender no longer has the benefit of entering the ring as an undefeated fighter. That feeling was removed following his last outing, a lopsided points defeat to WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol in a failed title bid last November 5 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Ramirez was unbeaten in 44 fights and convinced that he would leave the ring as a two-division titlist.
Instead, it’s back to the drawing board for the Mexican southpaw. The rebuilding tour begins with a fight versus former title challenger Gabriel Rosado, which headlines a March 18 DAZN show from Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California.
“I learned a lot from my first career loss against Bivol,” Ramirez said during a recent open media workout ahead at Brickhouse Boxing Club in North Hollywood. “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.”
Ramirez (44-1, 30KOs) once had a vision of advancing to at least 52-0—obsessed with surpassing the 50-0 mark left behind by Hall of Fame former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather upon his official retirement in 2017. The goal for Ramirez now remains to still become a five-division titlist himself, with aspirations of claiming belts at light heavyweight, cruiserweight, WBC-exclusive bridgerweight and heavyweight before he is done with the sport.
“I’ll fight anyone, anywhere,” vowed Ramirez, who held the WBO super middleweight title from 2016-2019 before he vacated to compete at light heavyweight. “I am from Mexico, and I came to the U.S. and fought.
“I went to Abu Dhabi to fight Bivol. So, 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.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox