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World boxing schedule for Joe Smith vs Gilberto Ramirez this weekend in a 12 round cruiserweight fight after weigh-ins. Last Friday was very different from the last time Gilberto Ramirez had to weigh himself.
Six and a half months after being so overweight that his fight against Gabe Rosado was canceled, Gilberto Ramirez fulfilled his contractual obligations for his fight against Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Ramirez, the former WBO super middleweight champion, came in at the heaviest weight of his career, 86.9 kg, for their 12-round cruiserweight bout.
Smith weighed on the Nevada State Athletic Commission scales at 86.9 kg, also the highest weight of his career. Before Friday, Mexico’s Ramirez had never weighed more than 79.3 kilograms in his 45 professional fights. Joe Smith’s previous highest weight was 81.6 kilograms.
DAZN will broadcast Ramirez-Smith’s headliner live worldwide from The Chelsea, inside The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas. The streaming service’s coverage of the fight card will begin at 8:00 PM EDT and 5:00 PM PDT in the United States.
Ramirez, 32, and Smith, 34, both lost their light heavyweight title fights in their last outings. Ramirez, who is 187 cm tall and has a record (44-1, 30 KOs), hasn’t fought since undefeated Russian Dmitry Bivol beat him via unanimous decision in a 12-round, 79.3 kg match last November 5 at the Etihad Arena. , Abu Dhabi.
Ramirez was supposed to face Rosado in another light heavyweight bout on March 18 at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California, but he had to undergo a seven-day medical examination. Ramirez committed to fight at cruiserweight after missing weight for the first time as a professional athlete. His WBA elimination bout against Smith (28-4, 22 KOs) will be contested seven pounds under the cruiserweight weight limit.
Joe Smith will end Ramirez’s longer layoff. The former WBO 79.3 kg heavyweight champion hasn’t fought since Russian Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) knocked him to the canvas three times and stopped Smith in the second round in their heavyweight title unification bout. Their 12-round lightweight event will take place in June 2022 at the Hulu Theater, Madison Square Garden, New York.
(aww)