WBC cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez says he wants to beat challenger Yuniel Dorticos on June 28th, and then move forward with his goal of becoming undisputed champ. First, he’s got to defeat Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs), and that’s not going to be easy due to his power.
Dorticos: A Tough Challenge
Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) believes he’s going to get the job done against Dorticos. He should win based on his youth going up against the 39-year-old Dorticos. Gilberto defends against Yuniel on June 28th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The event will be shown on DAZN PPV.
I’m looking to be undisputed and then move up to heavyweight in two or three fights. I want to make money and that’s it,” said Gilberto Ramirez to DAZN Boxing about his goals. “I felt proud of myself. I knew I was a better boxer than Chris Billiam-Smith. He’s a true warrior; he can take punches. I think he broke his hand, and he was fighting like that.”
It doesn’t seem realistic for Ramirez to become undisputed cruiserweight champion while Jai Opetaia is still around. Ramirez isn’t the kind of talent to beat Opetaia. If that fight happens, Gilberto will take a lot of punishment.
Ramirez’s Confidence Against Dorticos
“Even in this fight is nothing to do with Zurdo,” said Ramirez about his fight against Yuniel Dorticos on June 28th. “Dorticos said he’s ‘Mr. Knockout,’ but everyone tried to knock me out. Everyone tried to get my belt, but it’s not going to happen. I know I’m going to get through this because I trained very hard. I’m ready and super excited. Everyone knows who the true champion is.”
Dorticos, 39, can still punch, and he’ll be dangerous early before he gasses out. He hasn’t lost a fight in four years since losing to Mairis Briedis by a 12-round majority decision. That version of Briedis is better than Ramirez. It says a lot about Dorticos that he came close to beating Briedis.
“Yeah, but he needs to win first,” said Ramirez when asked if he sees himself fighting Jake Paul. I like to be pretty and move around. It’s good for the sport because he was a YouTuber and they know him. Now, he’s involved in boxing. A lot of people know him, and it’s good to bring a lot of people. Even young kids.They don’t know about boxing,” said Ramirez.
It’s understandable why Ramirez would want to fight Jake, because the payday will likely be huge. It’s a fight that he can win without too many problems. Ramirez will take a lot of criticism if he does wind up facing Paul, but the money will make it worthwhile.
“He’s doing a good job in the sport, and I hope one day he can be a champion, but not with me,” said Ramirez.
It’s going to be really hard for Jake Paul to pick up a belt at cruiserweight without being put in a perfect position against either a weak champion or a vacant title.