Former WBO Super Middleweight Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez says he’s ready to take on anyone! In December, he stopped Cuban Yunieski “The Monster” Gonzalez in a title elimination and became the mandatory challenger for Dmitry Bivol’s WBA title.
Ramirez, 43-0 (29), was skipped by Bivol, 19-0 (11), to defend against unified super-middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 57-1-2 (39), on May 7 at T- Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ramirez is 2nd in the WBA and 4th in the IBF, and 2nd for WBO title winner Joe Smith, Jr., who just defended his title in January, stopping Steve Geffard. As a former WBO champion, Ramirez and Smith would make an ideal couple.
Instead, Ramirez is looking to challenge men’s WBC Cruiserweight champion Ilunga Junior Makabu, 29-2 (25), a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who is fighting outside of South Africa. In January, Makabu defended her title, winning a split decision against Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu, also from South Africa, in Warren, OH. Makabu is said to be fighting Alvarez, who chose Bivol instead.
According to Bob Trieger’s press release, Ramirez is currently banned from competing for the light heavyweight title due to boxing politics and the unification fight. WBC/IBF champions, Artur Improbev, 17-0 (17) and Smith, 28-3 (22), are said to be playing a unified match on June 18 in New York City, beating Ramirez for Come this fall at the earliest.
Ramirez is the first Mexican to win the super middleweight belt. Now, he wants to make history by being the first to win the cruiser title. He fought in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Makabu won the WBC belt on January 31, 2020, when he knocked out Michael Cleslak of Poland and made another title defense afterwards before defeating Mchunu. Ramirez won the WBO Super Middleweight title in April 2016, defeating Arthur Abraham, 44-4 and defending it six times. He then won the NABF lightweight belt in December 2020, defeating Alfonso “El Tigre” Lopez, 32-3.
“Zurdo” is ready to fight for the WBC Cruiserweight title while awaiting a light heavyweight title fight. He could always come back from winning the cruiser title like Alvarez did, moving forward, winning the higher weight class and back in the lower weight class.
