WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez (46-1, 30 KOs) takes on WBO cruiserweight title holder Chris “The Gentleman” Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) in a twelve-round cruiserweight unification bout on the Venue Riyadh Season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November sixteenth. The principle occasion will probably be streamed reside on DAZN.
Ramírez obtained the WBA cruiserweight title in March of this 12 months with a dominating, one-sided, twelve-round unanimous resolution (118-110 on all three judges’ scorecards) over undefeated Arsen “Feroz” Goulamirian, who was making his fourth world title protection.
With the victory, Ramírez turned the first-ever Mexican cruiserweight title holder and a two-division world champion (he was a world title holder within the tremendous middleweight division).
To make this unification struggle with Billam-Smith, Ramírez agreed to a take care of his necessary challenger and former world champion Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) to step apart their struggle in trade for a charge and the promise that he would get the following struggle on the winner of this bout.
The thirty-three-year-old southpaw boxer from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, has two in a row (the opposite, a ten-round unanimous resolution over former mild heavyweight world champion Joe Smith Jr., by which he gained each spherical besides one on all three judges’ scorecards) following his lone loss to pound-for-pound probably the greatest boxers on this planet, then-unbeaten IBO mild heavyweight title holder Dmitry Bivol.
Billam-Smith, a thirty-four-year-old orthodox fighter from Bournemouth, Dorset, United Kingdom, has gained eleven in a row and can defend his world title for the third time. In his final outing, he avenged his solely loss to undefeated countryman Richard Riakporhe through a twelve-round unanimous resolution. He additionally scored an eighth-round technical knockout in opposition to Mateusz Masternak. Billam-Smith gained the WBO title with a twelve-round majority resolution over unbeaten Lawrence Okolie in Could 2023.
Ramírez defeated former three-time, two-division world titleholder Arthur Abraham in April 2016 for the WBO tremendous middleweight title, making him the second Mexican fighter to win a world title above the middleweight division (Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is the opposite).
He made 5 world title defenses over two and a half years (three of which had been in opposition to unbeaten fighters), then moved as much as the sunshine heavyweight division and gained 5 consecutive bouts through knockout. After dropping to Bivol, he climbed up one other weight class to cruiserweight.
Exterior the boxing ring, Ramírez has been extraordinarily busy. He began his personal promotional firm Zurdo Promotions, which has promoted a number of boxing playing cards and signed quite a few fighters, together with 4 up-and-coming prospects: undefeated tremendous light-weight Carlos Nava (15-0-1, 9 KOs), lately signed unbeaten tremendous middleweight Darius “DFG” Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs), tremendous flyweight John “Scrappy” Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs), and lightweight heavyweight Kareem Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs).
Ramírez is trying to promote his subsequent struggle card in December. He turned a principal member of three Level Administration (3PM), which opened a 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art boxing fitness center, Brickhouse Boxing Membership, in North Hollywood, California, in Could 2021.
On the Brickhouse Boxing Membership, he trains for his upcoming fights with head coach Julian Chua, coach and former heavyweight contender Malik Scott, and energy and conditioning coach Chris Wong.
Ramírez was gracious sufficient to take day out of his busy coaching camp to debate his upcoming struggle in opposition to Billam-Smith, how he sees this bout enjoying out, profitable a world title in one other weight class, preventing in Saudi Arabia for the primary time, and far more.
James Stillerman: How is coaching camp going to your upcoming struggle in opposition to Billam-Smith?
Gilberto Ramírez: My coaching camp goes properly. I’m excited for this struggle and the possibility to unify the belts on this division.
James Stillerman: What sort of struggle do you anticipate from Billam-Smith?
Gilberto Ramírez: He’ll attempt to come ahead and struggle on the within. I anticipate the perfect from him within the ring, however I’ll knock him out. I’ve higher abilities than he does. I’ll show to myself and everybody else that I’m the perfect within the cruiserweight division and the game.
James Stillerman: What’s it wish to be in a unification struggle in simply your third bout at cruiserweight?
Gilberto Ramírez: It was superb that this struggle got here collectively so rapidly. We each needed to struggle each other, so it was straightforward. That is what it ought to be like on this sport, with one champion preventing one other champion. Ultimately, I need to be the undisputed cruiserweight champion [WBC cruiserweight champion is Norair (Noel Gevor) Mikaeljan, and the IBF cruiserweight title holder is Jai Opetaia].
James Stillerman: What are your ideas on the way you carried out in your final bout in opposition to Goulamirian?
Gilberto Ramírez: It was a superb efficiency for me. I put quite a lot of laborious work into my coaching camp, which confirmed in that struggle. We had a terrific sport plan going into this struggle, and I adopted it, so my hand received raised on the finish of the bout. It was additionally a terrific night time for me as a result of I gained a belt in my second division, and for all of the Mexican followers, as I turned the first-ever Mexican cruiserweight champion.
James Stillerman: How do you are feeling preventing at cruiserweight?
Gilberto Ramírez: I really feel improbable preventing on this weight class. It is a a lot better division for me. I struggled to make weight at 175 kilos. My final bout at mild heavyweight was in opposition to [former world title challenger Gabriel] Rosado, however I couldn’t make weight, so the struggle needed to be canceled.
James Stillerman: What is going to or not it’s wish to struggle in Saudi Arabia?
Gilberto Ramírez: It will likely be a pleasure to struggle there. I’ve by no means fought in Saudi Arabia. I’m trying ahead to seeing their tradition and assembly folks. This will probably be an enormous struggle, and lots of followers are touring there to observe our struggle.
James Stillerman: What has it been wish to be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions?
Gilberto Ramírez: They’ve handled me so properly. It looks like a household to me. They’ve accomplished a terrific job getting me important fights over the previous couple of years.
For extra details about his boxing profession and upcoming fights, pal him on X @ZurdoRamirezz and @ZurdoPromotions, on Instagram @zurdoramirez and @zurdopromotions, and go to his web site at www.zurdopromotions.com.
