REIGNING WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez must show the difference in skill between himself and challenger Yuniel Dorticos. But, potentially more importantly, he must also create a distance between himself and YouTuber-come-boxer Jake Paul, whom he shares the top of the bill with.
A two-division world champion, Ramirez, 47-1 (30 KOs), appears to be lining up a shot at Jai Opetaia and the undisputed cruiserweight throne. First, he must overcome former champion and current WBA mandatory challenger Dorticos, 27-2 (25 KOs).
Ramirez claimed world honours at super-middleweight, but was unable to do so at light-heavyweight. It was at 175 pounds that he picked up the lone blemish on his record against Dmitry Bivol. ‘Zurdo’ then moved up to 200lbs in 2023 and soon established himself as a top competitor at the weight.
The Mexican has needed just three fights to become a unified cruiserweight champion. First outpointing Joe Smith Jr. on debut and then claiming Arsen Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith’s respective WBA and WBO straps in convincing back-to-back wins.
Ramirez now stands out as the apparent threat to Opetaia, who was seen as the lone man to beat in the division not long ago. However, the lack of knockout power at cruiserweight shown by 33-year-old Ramirez is one factor that has fans leaning towards his Australian counterpart.
Even though Dorticos boasts wins over the likes of Mateusz Masternak and Andrew Tabiti, he is 39 years old and has been stopped in the past. This means ‘Zurdo’ has the opportunity to plant a statement win that will turn heads in the division even further.
Additionally, the fact that the Cuban challenger has competed in just one round since 2022, compared to Ramirez’s 34 rounds in 20 months, will give the champion further confidence of a show-stealing victory.
For Dorticos, the hard-hitting veteran will be reliant on his ability to stop the champion, encouraged by his three wins, each inside of two rounds, since losing his IBF world title to Mairis Briedis in 2020.
Ramirez’s end goal may well be cruiserweight campaigner Paul, 11-1 (7 KOs), on a card that lends itself to the casual audience. Either way, it is imperative that Ramirez displays his full abilities and shows viewers the skills required of a true world champion.
GILBERTO RAMIREZ VS. YUNIEL DORTICOS FIGHT PREDICTION
Dorticos’ inactivity means he has not gone past the second round since September 2020, when the referee and those at ringside watched on with the protection of a face mask during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though Ramirez is yet to score a stoppage win at 200lbs, we believe this run will come to an end when the ageing Dorticos begins to tire. The champion should capitalise to secure a knockout win between rounds six and nine.
