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Former WBO Super Middleweight champion southpaw Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez says he’s ready to take on anyone! In December, he stopped Cuban Yunieski “The Monster” Gonzalez in a title eliminator and became the mandatory challenger for WBA champion Dmitry Bivol’s title.
Ramirez, 43-0 (29), was bypassed by Bivol, 19-0 (11), to defend against Unified Super Middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 57-1-2 (39), on May 7th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ramirez is the No. 2 ranked in the WBA and No. 4 in the IBF, and No. 2 for the WBO titleholder Joe Smith, Jr., who just defended his title in January, stopping Steve Geffard. Being a former WBO champion, Ramirez and Smith would be an ideal match-up.
Instead, Ramirez is looking to step up to challenge WBC Cruiserweight champion southpaw Ilunga Junior Makabu, 29-2 (25), a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo fighting out of South Africa. In January, Makabu defended his title, winning a split decision over Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu, also of South Africa, in Warren, OH. Makabu was reported to be fighting Alvarez, who instead picked Bivol.
Per a press release by Bob Trieger, Ramirez is being blocked from fighting for a light heavyweight title due to boxing politics and a unification fight. The WBC/IBF champion Artur Betterbiev, 17-0 (17), and Smith, 28-3 (22), are reportedly fighting a unification bout on June 18th in New York City, shutting out a title fight for Ramirez until this fall at the earliest.
Ramirez is the first Mexican to capture the super middleweight title. He now wants to make history by becoming the first to win a cruiserweight title. He fights out of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Makabu captured the WBC title on January 31st, 2020, when he decisioned Poland’s Michael Cleslak and making another title defense after that before defeating Mchunu. Ramirez captured the WBO Super Middleweight title in April of 2016, defeating Arthur Abraham, 44-4, and defended it six times. He then won the NABF light heavyweight title in December of 2020, stopping Alfonso “El Tigre” Lopez, 32-3.
“Zurdo” is ready to fight for the WBC Cruiserweight title while waiting for a light heavyweight title fight. He could always come back after taking the cruiser title like Alvarez has done, moving up, winning a higher weight, and returning to a lower weight.
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