Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez says he wants a rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol or a title shot against IBF, WBC & WBO champ Artur Beterbiev after he faces Gabriel Rosado next month on March 18th.
The former WBO super middleweight champion ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) feels he didn’t use the right game plan in his one-sided 12 round unanimous decision defeat against Bivol last November in Abu Dhabi.
If given a second chance, Ramirez says he’ll put pressure on Bivol, and he thinks he’ll have a shot at defeating him.
Unfortunately, for Ramirez, 31, to get another chance to fight Bivol or a title shot against Beterbiev, he’s going to need to put some wins under his belt against elite-level opposition, and he’s arguably going in the wrong direction by facing 37-year-old middleweight Rosado (26-16-1, 15 KOs).
Ramirez’s promoters at Golden Boy Promotions aren’t doing him any favors by matching him against the journeyman Rosado because not on will this fight not help him with his rankings at 175, but it’s going to result in him being subjected to ridicule from fans.
Unless Golden Boy starts matching Ramirez against highly ranked light heavyweight competition soon, it’s going to take many years for him to get ranked high enough for him to be given another world title shot.
It’s hard to imagine Ramirez being able to make the 175-lb limit for too much longer before he can no longer meltdown to that division. Given that Gilberto is rehydrating to over 200 lbs for his fights, it’s a sign that he needs to move up to cruiserweight.
“I think it wasn’t my night. I don’t take anything from him. He did a really good job. I didn’t feel myself that night, but it happened,” said Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez to the DAZN Boxing Show when asked why he lost to Dmitry Bivol last November.
“Yes, of course, I want the rematch. I want to fight with the best right now. The light heavyweight division is a good division. We have Callum Smith and Yarde. I want to fight against the best and prove to myself that I’m the best at light heavyweight because there’s something deep inside me that I want to fight the best.
“Every opponent they put in front of me, I need to pass through, and it will give me the title fight again. This is boxing, and I want to fight against the best. I chose this path, and I’m grateful for that because I’m a fighter, I’m a warrior, and that’s what I do. I fight the fight.
“Beterbiev will be a great match because it will be a great match for me, and people want to see those types of fights because he’s a champion and has three belts. I want to fight against the best and become a two-time world champion. This is the path I need to do it.
“It’ll be more of an explosive fight, going forward. It’ll be more fireworks,” said Ramirez when asked if Beteerbiev will be a tougher fight for him than his match against Bivol. “Yes, because he doesn’t move too much and is always going forward and it’s two warriors in the ring. I don’t think it’ll be a decision that fight.
“I think Bivol because he has better footwork, but I think it’s a great match-up. As a fan, I want to see the fight too,” said Ramirez when asked who wins between Beterbiev and Bivol.
“I think going forward more. I tried to box, but it was part of my plan and it was my strategy, but it wasn’t successful,” said Ramirez when asked what he should have done differently against Bivol.
“It happened for a reason, and now I’m hungry, and I’m motivated because I want to knock out everybody in the ring. I really want to be two-time world champion. I want to prove myself. I got into boxing because I believe in myself.
