By: Sean Cross
Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez has boosted his confidence in this weekend’s light heavyweight title fight against WBA champion Dimitri Bivol in Abu Dhabi, but Ramirez may not have enough to win. Suffice it to say, when the bell rang in the 12th round on Saturday, the favored Ramirez had little doubt about his effort.
Although both fighters were undefeated (Ramirez was 44-0 while Bivol was 22-0), it was Bivol who controlled the pace of the fight from the start. At first, Ramirez seemed hesitant to participate. When he finally decided to throw out the compounds, however, Bivol was able to use his amazing defense skills to get himself out of trouble.
The truth is, the fight was basically a boxing lesson. While big and strong, Ramirez couldn’t easily fool Bivol and adjust his hitting style. The reigning champions were perhaps the most impressive in their performance on Saturday. When it was all said and done, Bivol walked out of the ring in Abu Dhabi with the WBA title still in his hands, given a unanimous nod by the judges.
