Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs) says he wants Canelo Alvarez or a rematch with Dmitry Bivol at cruiserweight if either of those two fighters is interested in fighting him after his one-sided ten round unanimous decision win over Joe Smith Jr.(28-5, 22 KOs) on Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
It’s doubtful that Ramirez’s promoters at Golden Boy would agree to let him fight Bivol again because they would obviously know that his chances of winning would be nil. However, Canelo would be a different matter, as that’s a massive money fight for Ramirez, and it would be a huge promotional bonanza for Golden Boy.
Ramirez says this is a “new beginning” for him, moving up to cruiserweight, and using a defensive style of fighting to outbox former WBO 175-lb champion Joe Smith Jr, winning by the scores 99-91 x 3.
Fans disagreed with the scoring, believing that Smith won more than the one round the three judges gave him tonight.
Those scores were so bizarre that it made the judges look incompetent and tainted Ramirez’s victory, which many felt was very, very boring and not entertaining in the slightest. It’s a good thing this wasn’t on PPV because Ramirez’s style was reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather Jr’s performances.
“It felt like a new beginning for me. I’m coming back stronger, faster, and I move better, and I came forward, and I was smart in the ring,” said Gilberto Ramirez to the media, talking about his win over Joe Smith Jr. tonight.
“Eventually, if he wants. Of course, that’s two Mexicans in the ring,” said Ramirez when asked if he’d like to fight Canelo Alvarez.
“I want a rematch [against Dmitry Bivol]. I want to beat him and do my best. I think he’ll come up eventually, and I don’t see any point in coming back [to 175].
“No, I think Arthur Abraham was the hardest puncher. He was heavy-handed. I’ve been in the ring with so many guys that hit hard, but this guy hits hard too,” said Gilberto about Smith Jr’s power and how it stacks up with his past opponents.
“He did good. I don’t take anything from him. He did his best, and me too,” said Ramirez when asked if Joe Smith deserved to win more than one round. “I did my best, and I won the fight.
“I feel like I’m ready, I’m stronger, and this is a new beginning for Zurdo. This is a new career for me, and I’ll start with the right foot.
“We’ve been working for two months, and since then, we’ve been working good, and I like the way that we work,” said Zurdo Ramirez about his new coach Malik Scott.
