Zurdo Ramirez Overpowers Joe Smith To Win A Unanimous Decision

In some boxing news, Gilberto Ramirez defeated Joe Smith Jr. via a unanimous decision to win on his first fight at cruiserweight for the WBA title eliminator.

Ramirez was aiming to bounce back from the first loss of his career to Dmitry Bivol at the back end of last year. And after having failed to make weight against Gabriel Rosado in his last fight at 175, a move up to cruiserweight was timely.

Smith Starts Well

And yet, the win was not as wide as it may have been. In the early parts of the fight, Smith managed to stop Ramirez’s attempts to break him down with his footwork.

The judgement of distance left Ramirez missing widely as Smith got the better of him.  The Brit was intent on pressing the action, which told in the fourth round. Smith landed power shots to Ramirez’s head and midsection as the hooks did some damage.

Joe Smith Jr. said 👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊#ZurdoSmith | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/dCSuNxb5Y5

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) October 8, 2023

Ramirez Fights Back

However, the Mexican held himself together to stay composed in what was otherwise a tough encounter. Ramirez fought back with numerous combinations to Smith’s face as the Brit’s pace slowed down.

The former undefeated fighter managed to counter Smith each time he was coming in, as the Mexican’s timing proved to be a telling factor.

Zurdo with a strong LEFT 😏#ZurdoSmith | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/HjSLaVZlaf

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) October 8, 2023

And after having got past Smith’s pressure, Ramirez managed to keep him at bay until the ninth round. The Brit once again caught Ramirez with a right hand that sent the Mexican on the ropes, as he responded with more power shots.

Despite it being a close fight, the judges did rule widely in favor of Ramirez who took the fight on the cards as follows: 99-91, 99-91 & 99-91. Thereafter, Ramirez called for an all-Mexican clash with Canelo Alvarez.

Zurdo is successful in his Cruiserweight debut!#ZurdoSmith | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/diPiPQaDli

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) October 8, 2023

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.

“I think he’ll [Bivol] come up [to cruiserweight] eventually. I don’t see any point in coming back [to light heavyweight] if they don’t give me a good fight, I don’t need to do it. But if they give me a good fight, it’ll be good,” said Ramirez

Full Card

Gilberto Ramirez def. Joe Smith Jr. via. unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91 & 99-91)

Bektemir Melikuziev def. Alantez Fox via 4th round TKO (:44)

Darius Fulghum def. Alan Campa via 1st round KO (2:58)

Jose Sanchez def. Eric Tudor via unanimous decision (77-75, 77-75 & 78-74)

Ultimately, Ramirez looked more comfortable at a higher weight. And following the weight issues that he had against Rosado, a move up cruiserweight is exactly what the fighter needed moving forward. After all, Ramirez looked more like a former undefeated fighter.