Gilberto Ramirez To Return in 2017, Says Bob Arum

By Steve Kim

Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez (34-0, 24KOs) was scheduled to make the first defense of his WBO super middleweight title on July 23rd on the pay-per-view undercard that featured the junior welterweight unification bout between Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, Ramirez injured his right hand a few weeks before that appointment and was scratched from that date.

There was hope that he would return this fall and continue the momentum he had built from beating Arthur Abraham for the title on April 9th.

According to the head of Top Rank, Bob Arum - "(Ramirez) has to go see Dr. Shin and he has to get clearance and I think that rather than push it, I'm looking to bring him back right after the first of the year."

Top Rank has shows scheduled for November 5th (when Manny Pacquiao takes on WBO welterweight titlist, Jessie Vargas at the Thomas and Mack Center) and later on that month with the return of WBO junior lightweight belt-holder, Vasyl Lomachenko.

Top Rank believes Ramirez is one of their most marketable young stars and was hoping to showcase him as soon as possible.

But Arum believes that waiting is the prudent thing to do,"because to push him for November or say even the end of November, he could injure it again. That's short-term thinking."

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com