Zurdo Ramirez Beats Joe Smith Jr. Via A Unanimous Decision
Zurdo Ramirez secured a unanimous-decision win over Joe Smith Jr. to win the WBA interim belt at cruiserweight, which puts him in line for a title shot against Arsen Goulamirian.
Ramirez was making his debut in the cruiserweight division after having not made weight at light heavyweight against Gabriel Rosado as the fight was pulled. Prior to that, the Mexican suffered the first defeat of his career after losing to Dmitry Bivol. This time around, however, the Mexican got the job done.
In the first few rounds, Smith used his feet to stay out range and make Ramirez miss the target. The strategy was clear: to avoid the Mexican and then press forward at the available opportunity. This came to a head in the fourth round when Smith backed up Ramirez to fire combinations to the body and head.
Joe Smith Jr. said 👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊#ZurdoSmith | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/dCSuNxb5Y5
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) October 8, 2023
But after having managed to stay composed, Ramirez started to take control in the second half of the fight. Ramirez’s timing proved crucial as he connected with Smith’s face as the latter came forward, countering him at every chance that he had gotten.
Zurdo with a strong LEFT 😏#ZurdoSmith | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/HjSLaVZlaf
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) October 8, 2023
Smith eventually began to slow down as Ramirez dominated more. However, in the ninth round, Smith began to make a late surge. The Brit pushed Ramirez towards the ropes with a big right hand before unloading with more combinations. Although the fight appeared competitive, the judges’ scorecards did not see it that way as Ramirez won by a wide margin: 99-91, 99-91 & 99-91.
In the aftermath, Ramirez targeted a fight with his fellow Mexican Canelo Alvarez. Meanwhile, a rematch with Bivol was also being considered. As for Smith, he will have to regroup following his second loss in a row after being stopped by Artur Beterbiev.
Reaction
“Of course, he [Bivol] upset my ego and my soul. As a Mexican, I want a rematch. I want to beat him, and I want to be my best. I don’t need to look bad. I need to look forward to beyond. Whoever is in front, I need to beat the guy. I wish him nothing but the best. He’s a great fighter, a great champion [Bivol], and he needs to keep working & fighting for anyone.
“Anyone, I want all the champions. I want to be the first Mexican cruiserweight champion, and that’s my goal. That’s what I’m working for. Eventually, if he wants. Two Mexicans in the ring, that’s a war. Marquez, Barrera, all of them. It’s a great fight. All the fans want to see two Mexicans in the ring all the time,” Ramirez
Full Results
Gilberto Ramirez beat Joe Smith Jr. via. unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91 & 99-91)
Bektemir Melikuziev beat Alantez Fox via 4th round TKO (:44)
Darius Fulghum beat Alan Campa via 1st round KO (2:58)
Jose Sanchez beat Eric Tudor via unanimous decision (77-75, 77-75 & 78-74)