Via Brian Webber: Dmitry Bivol showed improvements in his game against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez compared to what he showed last May when he studied Canelo Alvarez through 12 rounds in Las Vegas.
Although Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) largely played it safe, defeating mandatory Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) to defend his WBA light heavyweight championship, he was more aggressive and Open to his attacks more often than in the match Canelo.
Part of the reason Bivol showed more aggression last Saturday night was because of how slow and restrained Zurdo Ramirez was.
What became clear after four rounds was that Ramirez was not the fighter some casual boxing fans thought he would be in the competition. Ramirez looks like an average contender and not someone with a 44-0 record sitting in a required position with the WBA.
Ramirez’s various promoters throughout his career have deftly maneuvered him, helping him fend off defeatable opposition to building a fluff record. With such a weak opponent, it was not a shock that Bivol dominated him the way he did.
Chris Mannix said: “Dmitry Bivol successfully defended his WBA heavyweight title, leaving Gilberto Ramirez suffering the first loss of his career. Boxing DAZN.
“A great performance by Dmitry Bivol. Is this even better than what we saw from Dmitry in the match against Canelo? “
“Yes, I think so because a lot of the questions being raised tonight about how we think the fight will go will be Gilberto Ramirez on the front foot,” Ade Oladipo said.
“In the first four or five innings you would think he was going to do the forced action, but that’s not the case. It’s Bivol hitting the action, landing better shots, and also the combinations.
“He [Bivol] getting into the fight a little favorite, and I think that could work for him because I always felt that he was upping his game when the pressure was on.
“He has shown that he is not just arguably the best light heavyweight out there. I know some people will argue about Beterbiev, but he’s at the top of the charts for me.
“That performance was also boxer of the year. He surprised me there. It was the undefeated Gilberto Ramirez. Yes, there were questions about Gilberto Ramirez’s win that took him to 44-0, but as an undefeated boxer, I think he won comfortably. I only gave Ramirez three rounds,” Oladipo said.
Chris Mannix said: “I’ve always considered the win over Canelo the biggest and best win of Bivol’s career, but that’s how he won it tonight. “Gilberto Ramirez comes with a reputation as a pressure fighter, but he’s the Bivol that works on the front foot most of the night.”
“In theory, this is a harder fight than Canelo because of him [Ramirez] has a large long reach; He can punch,” said Barry Jones. “I know that Canelo can, but he is physically bigger, and you would think physically stronger. I’m not so sure about that.
“So in theory it’s a tougher fight, but it’s not. It looked tough for the first four innings. If you go back to some of Bivol’s earlier battles, that was his MO.
“He doesn’t do too much. It’s like he’s testing the waters of your reaction, but then he gives the key. Not much. Just enough and again, legs. It is very subtle. The movements are small and he’s leaning on his hind legs, you think, ‘Why is Ramirez in range? Why did you let go? ‘
“It is because of that. Tiny movements with the feet. Jones said.
“I think it is like him [Bivol] has amazing power,” Oladipo said. “It’s not explosive power. You think of other heavyweights in the past like Kovalev.
“It’s not that kind of power, but when Ramirez came in, he was scared to let go because he felt something in the first four or five innings.
“He feels the power of Dmitry Bivol. Look, I have to admit. I think I slept on the Bivol. When he fought Craig Richards, I thought, ‘He’s not that special.’ When he fought Joe Smith, I thought he was okay, but he was caught late in that fight.
“A few seconds into that fight, and you never know. I felt like I slept on top of him, and he crept on top of me. I believe we are looking at one of the best fighters right now. To beat Dmitry Bivol, it will take a lot of time because he can do a little bit of everything,” Oladipo said.
Jones said of Bivol: “What he has done most of his career is enough. “He’s been decommissioned, but he’s not going to overreact. Even tonight, he got in trouble with Ramirez a few times, maybe, but he won’t take that risk because the risk isn’t worth it to him.
“He wants to win. He doesn’t want to impress. If he impresses, that’s great, but that’s not his focus. His focus is on winning and just winning,” Jones said of Bivol.
“He wants the Beterbiev fight; That’s clearly what he wanted,” Oladipo said. “We know that Beterbiev worked with Anthony Yarde in England, and we also know, unfortunately, that Beterbiev has a long history of injuries.
“It’s the case with this guy who fights once a year, not because he wants to, but because his body can’t keep up with what he wants to do in the ring. So he might have to take something in between. The options in between are fine.
“There’s Canelo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Maybe we go there again and get a lot of money. I think he took [Joshua] Buatsi. I think he has a stopping distance while he waits for Canelo.
“Look, Canelo, we know we’ve had hand surgery. Eddie Hearn has said that Canelo will be able to fight again in May. I don’t know if he has, and if he doesn’t, and this is September, he’s going to do something in between.
“Joshua Buatsi was here. It was a big war in England. It sold out of O2 Arena. Maybe you do it,” Oladipo said of Bivol’s ability to resist Buatsi.
“Also, the whole point of, ‘You just beat me up because I’m so big. Now I’m your weight,” says Barry Jones.
“There is no provision for rehydration,” says Oladipo. “If we’re going to do 168, let’s do 168
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