Gilberto Ramirez Ready For All-Comers, Golovkin, Canelo, Chavez

By Steve Kim

It was certainly a let down for Gilberto Ramirez that after capturing the WBO super middleweight title last April against Arthur Abraham that he was then sidelined the rest of 2016 after an injury to his right hand caused him to pull out of his first scheduled title defense in July against Dominick Britsch.

Now, he's slated to kick off 2017 by facing Max Bursak on April 22nd at the StubHub Center in Carson, California as part of a pay-per-view show promoted by Top Rank.

"I feel great, I'm 100-percent recovered," said Ramirez, who has a record of 34-0(24 KO's), through Gardy Lopez. "I just want to get back in the ring and I'm very excited for that."

When asked if there is a particular fight he yearns for, the Mexican southpaw stated - "The most important fight for me is the one on April 22nd. I want to defend my title for the first time. After that I just want big fights, maybe 'Triple G' (Gennady Golovkin) or any other champion at 168."

But certainly the fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (which has a catch-weight o 164.5 pounds) has piqued his interest.

"It's a fight that people wanted and it's great they are fighting each other. I just hope that the best man wins."

His prediction?

"I think 'Canelo' is the favorite but I just hope it's a good fight so that the fans can enjoy and remember that fight for a long time,"said Ramirez, who certainly wouldn't mind facing either of them down the line.

"Of course, that's something I would like. I'm up to fighting whoever wins. If both of them want to fight me and I'm up to the task of fighting whoever is in front of me."

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.