Aug 21, 2023, 7:14 PM ET
The former Mexican world champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will reappear in the ring for the first time since his defeat against the also winner of Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivolwith a 12-round bout against the American Joe Smith Jr. to take place on October 7 in Las Vegas.
This was announced this Monday by the promoter company Golden Boy Promotionswhich highlighted that the match would mark Ramírez’s debut in the cruiser divisionand at the same time it will mark a step back in the careers of both.
Mexican Gilberto Ramirez (right) lost an unbeaten record to Dmitry Bivol in November 2022. EPA/ALI HAIDER
Ramírez (44-1, 30 KO’s) has just suffered his first professional defeat against Russian Bivol (21-0, 11 KO’s) last November in Abu Dhabi, in a dispute for the World Boxing Association light heavyweight title. Six months earlier, Bivol had beaten Canelo, also by unanimous decision.
Ramírez reigned at 168 pounds between 2016 and 2018, until he moved up to 175 and got his failed starting opportunity against Bivol. He had his first attempt to return to the ring in March, against Gabriel Rosado and also as a light heavyweight, but failed to make the catch weight.
“I couldn’t lose enough to make the contract weight. I am ashamed and upset by my actions and I promise this will never happen again. We will make the correct adjustments and we will return soon”, said the Lefty on that occasion.
Now he will embark on a new path, one division higher.
“I am ready to take over the cruiserweight division and prove to myself that I am capable of adding another championship belt to my resume,” Ramirez said. “I want to thank all my fans, Golden Boy, DAZN, the WBA and all my team who have supported me in these times of change. We are ready to face a hungry opponent like Joe Smith Jr, who is used to being the underdog. We’ve both wanted this fight for a while, as light heavyweights, but I’m glad we can do it now.”
In Smith (28-4, 22KOs), he will have an opponent who has already been a world champion in light heavyweight, also a victim of Bivol and whose resume stands out for having sent Bernard Hopkins into retirement.
“It feels great to return to the ring in style, on October 7 against ‘Zurdo’ Ramírez,” said Smith, whose most recent fight was in June 2022, when he was knocked out by Artur Beterbiev.
“I had already had a difficult year and on top of that I tragically lost my brother Alex. I miss him and I know he will be with me when I step into that ring. He was always proud of me and would have been happy to see me come back. I want to show the world that I am back and I hope that my work can bring some happiness and inspiration to my family.”
The fight will be at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and distributed by DAZN.
2023-08-21 23:33:28
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