Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) will reportedly defend his WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles against Robin Safar (19-0, 13 KOs) on January 16 in Palm Desert, California.

Ramirez knows a win keeps his expected May 2 date with David Benavidez intact after the latter said he would face him on Cinco De Mayo in his post-fight comments after the Anthony Yarde win to retain his WBC Light Heavyweight Title. Ramirez’s last fight was a win over Yuniel Dorticos in June. Since that win, he has undergone shoulder surgery which has stalled his momentum that has seen him lose just once when he came up short against Dmitry Bivol in 2022. As for Safar, he secured an upset win over Sergey Kovalev via a unanimous decision in May 2024. He followed that up with wins over Roberto Silva and Derick Miller Jr., respectively.