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NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Gilberto Ramirez is a former 168-pound WBO champion who’s been fighting at 175 pounds ever since April 2019, putting together wins against the likes of Yunieski Gonzalez and Sullivan Barrera, among others.
The 31-year-old Ramirez’s power has carried up to light heavyweight, as all five of “Zurdo’s” fights in the division have ended via stoppage, most recently against Dominic Boesel inside just four rounds.
Ramirez’s power will be put to the test once again when he fights WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on Nov. 5 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on DAZN.
The Julian Chua-trained Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs), from Mazatlan, Mexico, credits his power to one of his favorite foods.
“My power at 175 comes from eating tacos. I eat a lot of tacos. I like to eat meat,” Ramirez told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “But I always train hard. I do meditation, yoga, and I am just in the gym all of the time. My body feels great at 175 pounds. This is my division.
“I feel like I am the champion. I have to show the people that don’t believe in me. I am going to take away the belt. I believe in myself.”
Ramirez is promising to beat Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) and avenge the loss of countryman Canelo Alvarez, who lost to Bivol via unanimous decision in May.
In recent months, whether it be Ramirez or David Benavidez, Alvarez has made it clear that he does not want to fight a fellow Mexican.
Should Ramirez beat Bivol, it likely reshuffles the deck for Alvarez’s next fight. Alvarez has been adamant that he wants to face Bivol in a rematch.
Ramirez is hoping he gets his crack at the current undisputed super middleweight champion as well should Alvarez decide to campaign once again at 175 pounds.
“The best fights are when two Mexican fighters meet in the ring,” said Ramirez. “But I respect what [Alvarez] says. But for me, I want to fight the best. It’s the way that it should be. Fighters are warriors, and they have to fight anyone.”
If Alvarez is unavailable, Ramirez can take a crack at the winner of the Artur Beterbiev-Anthony Yarde fight for undisputed champion status if he snatches Bivol’s belt.
Beterbiev currently holds the 175-pound WBO, WBC, and IBF titles and is slated to face Yarde on Jan. 28.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.