Gilbeto Ramirez vs Joe Smith Jr Cruiserweight Clash On October 7
A pair of former world champions will get it on as Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) will square off against Joe “Common Man” Smith Jr (28-4, 22 KOs) on October 7 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The scheduled twelve-round cruiserweight contest will air live on DAZN.
TRYING TO REBOUND
Ramirez is the former WBO world champion at 168. The 32-year-old has been out of the ring since November 2022, when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to reigning WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
Smith is the ex-WBO champion at 175. The last time folks saw the 33-year-old in the ring, he got dismantled in two rounds by the current unified light heavyweight champion Arthur Beterbiev.
On paper, Ramirez – Smith Jr has the potential to be action-packed. Neither are fleet of foot and have elite boxing skills. Ramirez and Smith like to stand center-ring and trade. Smith may have more one-punch power, but Zurdo is the better inside fighter.
Smith is ranked sixth by the WBC and eighth by the WBA at 175. Ramirez is rated sixth by the WBO and seventh by the WBA in the light heavyweight division.
With both fighters coming into this bout off of losses, it’s an understatement to say that this is a critical fight for both men. Whoever loses could potentially be relegated to journeyman status. The winner stays in the hunt for another world title shot at 175 or possibly even cruiserweight.
