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Zurdo: Dealing with the Bivol loss was really tough

Friday Sep 22 2023, 2:58 pm UTC
3 min read
by Lucas Ketelle

Former World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez is readying for his 2023 debut which will also signal his cruiserweight division debut as he faces former light heavyweight world champion Joe Smith Jr. Their bout which takes place October 7th, situated within The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Saturday, October 7, will be broadcast on DAZN.

Yesterday, Ramirez held a media workout ahead of his bout to promote his upcoming fight. Ramirez also touched on some of the issues people were curious about, one of which being his move up to cruiserweight after missing weight so badly in a fight scheduled against Gabriel Rosado that the fight was canceled at the weigh-in.

"I am excited for me and my team to return on October 7 in Las Vegas. I am most excited for myself because some of the best shows happen in Vegas," said Ramirez. "

"I feel great at cruiserweight, this is typically the weight I've walked around my entire life. I feel much stronger in this class and most importantly I feel healthy."

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, reflecting on the event, expressed his excitement for the upcoming bout and his return to the ring in Las Vegas, as he stated that he feels better at this weight class. fighter and looked forward to the prospect of facing a former world champion and a formidable opponent. This is his first fight back since losing a one-sided fight to Dmitry Bivol last year, and given that he had a weight mishap some are wondering if that had lingering effects.

"Dealing with the Bivol loss was really tough," said Ramirez. "It hurt my soul and it hurt my ego as a warrior. Now that I have been able to move past it, I want to come back even stronger and I want to win. I want to feel like I can do it."

As for his opponent, Joe Smith Jr., Ramirez stated that he is very familiar with him.

"I've been watching Joe Smith Jr. for many years now; probably his whole career," said Ramirez. "He is a great fighter and it's exciting for me to face him because he is a former world champion, he has faced many former champions and great top opponents."

Also at the media event were several undercard fighters who promoted their bout. These included John “Scrappy” Ramirez, a recent signee with Golden Boy, who will co-headline a twelve-round bout in a WBA Super Flyweight final eliminator fight against Ronal Batista, Bektemir “The Bully” Melikuziev will face veteran Alantez Fox and Daniel “Ikaika” Luna will make a quick return and be featured on this card.