Last night on the hyped Jake Paul-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr card in Anaheim, California, two-belt cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez had an at times tough night against a stubborn and also occasionally dirty Yuniel Dorticos. In the end, Mexican warrior Ramirez retained his WBA and WBO belts with a 12-round unanimous decision, but the Cuban veteran made Ramirez work for his win.
Scores were a wide 117-110, and 115-112, 115-112. Dorticos lost a point for chucking some foolish and deliberate low blows in round-ten. “Zurdo” is now 48-1(30), while former IBF 200 pound champ Dorticos falls to 27-3(25).
Ramirez survives early trouble, dominates late rounds
Ramirez, who to be fair never really looks pretty when he fights but he gets the job done and he is one tough guy who keeps coming, put in another solid showing last night. But over the course of the first half of last night’s battle, it was 39 year old Dorticos who was the man on the front foot. Ramirez was being bullied into the ropes and he was taking shots. It was good action. But by the second half of the fight it was the younger man who was in charge.
Ramirez let his hands go far more frequently from the sixth round on, and he was now bossing things. Dorticos was still there, but Ramirez was landing far more punches now. Then, in round-ten, Dorticos, who had been warned two times for throwing low blows, almost had an ‘Andrew Golota moment,’ this as he quite intentionally threw a series of low shots. Unlike Golota in his two wacky fights with Riddick Bowe, Dorticos was not disqualified. But he sure could have been.
Ramirez calls for Opetaia clash: “I’m the king”
Instead the fight went down to the wire and “Zurdo” bagged the final two sessions with his greater work-rate. There seemed to be no doubt who had won at the end, but as it turned out, had Dorticos not been docked a point for fouling, Ramirez would have won by just a couple of points on two cards.
Moving ahead, Ramirez, who says he’s the “King” of the cruiserweight division, spoke about a fight we all want to see, and that’s a unification showdown between Ramirez and Jai Opetaia.
“Is that the fight?” Ramirez asked post-fight when referring to the Opetaia fight. “Yeah, that’s the fight I want. I’m the king. Make sure you get my phone [number] and call me. And be ready.”
We fans sure are ready to see that fight go down.
