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Profile of Gilberto Ramirez, former WBO super middleweight world champion who made a sweet cruiserweight debut. Gilberto Ramirez, nicknamed Zurdo, proved that his choice to move up to cruiserweight was the right one.
This boxer from Mazatlan, Mexico defeated Joe “Common Man” Smith Jr. (28-5, 22 KOs) of Long Island, New York, in a 10-round WBA cruiserweight eliminator. The 10-round fight, which was held at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, marked the debut of both boxers in the cruiserweight division.
Zurdo finally won by unanimous decision over ten rounds. The judges gave scores 99-91, 99-91 and 99-91. The victory increased Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez’s ring record to 45-1, (30 KOs).
While the cruiserweight weight limit is 90.7 kilograms, this contest has a contracted weight of 86.1 kg. In addition, the WBA gave permission for this fight as a world title fight – even though there is a 10 round limit.
With the win, Ramirez rebounded from a unanimous decision loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in 2022. Ramirez, who won his only world championship at 76.2 kg super middleweight, was given expert instruction in the corner of the ring by the retired boxer Malik Scott, who is best known for his work as the head trainer of former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
The Mexican was able to move around the ring for most of the round, while using accurate striking to overwhelm Smith for much of the fight. Smith did his best to connect his shots, but he often missed and never connected his shots consistently. “This is a new beginning for me,” Ramirez said. “I came back stronger, faster and kept going.
(aww)