Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez to Fight Dmitry Bivol in WBA Light Heavyweight Title Fight

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez has lined up a new fight…

The 31-year-old Mexican professional boxer has agreed to a WBA light heavyweight title fight against Dmitry Bivol.

Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez to Fight Dmitry BivolRamirez and Bivol’s bout will take place on November 5 in the United Arab Emirates, the organization announced.

The rights to the fight were scheduled to be auctioned off at a purse bid on Sunday afternoon before the deal was struck.

Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) is coming off an upset win over Canelo Alvarez in May to retain his 175-pound title. The 31-year-old Russian is ESPN‘s No. 2 light heavyweight and No. 8 pound-for-pound boxer.

Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) is a former super middleweight titleholder now campaigning at light heavyweight. Through five fights at 175 pounds, the 31-year-old Mexican has shown off a far more aggressive style — and punching power — but has yet to face anyone approaching the caliber of Bivol.

Ramirez is ESPN’s No. 3 light heavyweight and will be installed as a decided underdog against Bivol, one of the slickest boxers in the sport coming off a landmark victory.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez to Fight Reigning WBA Champion Dmitry Bivol

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez is toping to take down a champion…

The 31-year-old Mexican professional boxer will give reigning champion Dmitry Bivol a run for his money in a mandatory defense, the World Boxing Association announced Wednesday.

Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez to Fight Dmitry Bivol Ramirez is the No. 1 contender in the WBA‘s 175-pound ranking.

Bivol had requested to face London’s Joshua Buatsi, per the WBA.

“After an extensive study of the same, the WBA denied such permission,” the sanctioning body said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) is coming off a landmark win against Canelo Alvarez, ESPN‘s top pound-for-pound fighter at the time. The Russian boxer won in a unanimous decision — 115-113 on all three scorecards — to successfully defend the belt for the eighth time.

Ramirez (44-0, 31 KOs) told ESPN he was surprised Bivol made the request to the WBA but was pleased with Wednesday’s ruling.

“I felt that they were scared to fight me,” Ramirez said. “That’s why I’m so happy to fight him. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. Now it’s my time.”

Ramirez is looking to become a two-division champion. In 2016, he made history by becoming the first Mexican to win a super middleweight title when he outpointed Arthur Abraham. It set the table for Alvarez, who ran through the 168-pound division to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion in the four-belt era.

The ruling also suggests that if the two sides cannot come to terms by the end of Wednesday, a purse bid will be held for the bout’s rights. Matchroom Boxing promotes Bivol, and Golden Boy Promotions handles Ramirez.

If Bivol doesn’t want to face Ramirez, he could vacate the WBA belt, since Badou Jack relinquished the title in 2017. However, Ramirez said he doesn’t think Bivol will go that route. Ramirez said he feels he presents the most lucrative option for Bivol and believes there is an appetite to see if a Mexican fighter can dethrone Bivol, something Alvarez couldn’t do in his ambitious attempt in May.

“It will be really surprising if he vacated the title,” Ramirez told ESPN. “Who else is he going to fight?”

The matchup could be one of boxing’s most competitive title bouts of the year. Bivol is No. 2 in ESPN’s divisional rankings, trailing only Artur Beterbiev. Ramirez is slotted third following his win against Dominic Boesel in May.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez to Make Golden Boy Debut Against Sullivan Barrera

Gilberto ZurdoRamirez is ready to make his Golden (Boy) debut…

The 29-year-old Mexican professional boxer, a former super middleweight world titlist, will face former light heavyweight title contender Sullivan Barrera on July 9 in Los Angeles, according to Golden Boy Promotions.

Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez

Ramirez (41-0, 27 Kos), of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, will make his Golden Boy debut after signing with the promotion in February.

Ramirez, who became the first fighter from Mexico to win a world title at 168 by defeating Arthur Abraham by unanimous decision in 2016 to win the WBO belt, defended the title five times before jumping up to light heavyweight. Since then, he has TKO victories over Tommy Karpency and Alfonso Lopez.

“I’m excited to be headlining this show in Los Angeles with Golden Boy Promotions,” Ramirez said via news release. “It’s going to be a great night of boxing with fans back in the stands. I’ve always enjoyed fighting here, and I can’t wait to put on a show to continue my hunt for the light heavyweight championship.”

Barrera (22-3, 14 KOs), 39, of Guantanamo, Cuba, lost his only attempt to win a world title against WBA light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol in 2018. He has fought twice since then, a decision win against Sean Monaghan in November 2018 and a decision loss to Jesse Hart in June 2019. “I know that my opponent is a former world champion with a lot of experience and that he will come very much prepared,” Barrera said. “However, I feel that I have faced much better opposition. I’ve also spent my entire career in the light heavyweight division, something that will be totally new for him. It will be a difficult fight, but I will walk away with my hands raised in victory.”