Oscar De La Hoya says Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez wants to neutralize WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol’s offensive style by “punches in bunches” this Saturday, November 5th, on DAZN.
Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) will need to change his normal one-punch-at-a-time fighting style to get the better of Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) this Saturday night in their 1:30 p.m. event at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Bivol is the one that’s unknown for being a combination puncher, not Zurdo Ramirez, which is why it’s going to be difficult for the Mexican fighter to change how he usually fights to overwhelm him with punches.
The lack of hand & foot speed for Ramirez will also make it difficult for him to land more shots than Bivol because he’s really slow, and not capable of outworking him unless he suddenly becomes gunshy on Saturday.
“Bivol is a tremendous boxer. Bivol earned his shot at becoming a world champion,” said Oscar De La Hoya to iFL TV about Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez challenging WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on Saturday.
“Then you have Zurdo Ramirez, who has taken the hard road, he’s taken the tough road in order to get that world title. Two eliminators [Dominic Boesel and Sullivan Barrera] and two knockouts in those eliminators. It shows you the character that Zurdo has, and that’s the character of a champion, a warrior, a guy that doesn’t give up.
“44-0 and now fighting for another world title. It’s going to be a great show. It’s fair to say,” said De La Hoya when asked if we don’t know how good Ramirez is despite his 44-0 record.
“He’s beaten some good world champions, but it’s just the beginning of his career at 44. We obviously know his desire to become the first fighter to surpass Floyd Mayweather’s career at 50-0.
“More importantly, to win this world title on Saturday night, it’s going to take a lot of determination and a lot of discipline on his part. He’s done all the hard work. He’s been in there with tough light heavyweights. It’s time to shine.
“It’s time to put it all on the line on Saturday night. Punches in bunches offset his style. Bivol has tremendous footwork and abilities inside the ring. It’s time to offset that speed, offset that style that Bivol has, and Zurdo Ramirez can do that,” said De La Hoya.
