“Zurdo” Ramirez Breaks Down and Stops Gonzalez in a Barnburner
In many aspects, it’s now or never for Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (43-0, 29 KOs) as he faced Yunieski Gonzalez (21-4, 17 KOs) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio in a WBA light heavyweight world title eliminator.
“Zurdo” is a former WBO world super middleweight champion. But, when it comes to a discussion about the prominent fighters from 168-175 pounds, the 30-year-old is rarely mentioned. Part of this has to do with Ramirez, given his battles with promoters and inconsistent performances in the ring.
But, Ramirez feels he’s turned over a new leaf after signing a multi-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions in February 2021. That followed with an impressive fourth-round KO over former WBO world lightweight champion Sullivan Barrera in July 2021.
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OFF TO A FAST START
Now comes a relatively quick turnaround as he faced a Gonzalez who was far from a pushover. The 36-year-old from Cuba has fought solid and reputable competition over the years. He was also on a three-fight winning streak, all by stoppage.
Gonzalez is a quick starter, and he began red-hot, landing a series of hard right hands in the first round. But one of his flaws is his slow feet. Ramirez adjusted by pivoting his hard-charging opponent and landing with shots from outside and up-close. Midway through the fourth, Gonzalez was stunned by a series of punches. Sensing a wounded warrior, “Zurdo” went on attack mode and punished the Cuban with a fistic assault.
NOT AN EASY NIGHT
Though Ramirez was in charge as the action went into the middle rounds, he received his share of punishment. A headbutt and left hook stunned him in the seventh. He was also wobbled by a right hand at the end of the eighth.
At this point, the pace started to slow down as Ramirez kept his distance and boxed. The results proved beneficial as he stunned Gonzalez with a counter left hand in the tenth. A fusillade of punches caused even more damage. With a minute and thirty-seven to go in the round, referee Rafael Ramos stepped in and stopped the fight with Gonzalez wavering on the ropes.
With the win, Ramirez now becomes the WBA’s light heavyweight mandatory challenger. Afterward, he had a message for the current WBA 175-champ Dmitry Bivol.
“Now it’s time for a big challenge. Bivol, you can run, but you can’t hide.”
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
