By Ryan Burton
WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez (40-0) made his light heavyweight debut succesful with a 4th round stoppage victory over Tommy Karpency (29-7-1) Saturday night on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Anthony Crolla undercard in Los Angeles.
Even though he was moving up in weight, it was evident from the opening bell that Ramirez was the bigger man in the ring. He hurt the longtime light heavyweight early and often which prompted Karpency's corner to stop the fight after the 4th round.
The 27-year-old Ramirez had struggled to make 168 his past few fights and said that he felt a lot more comfortable at 175 pounds.
"I feel really good. I feel like it is a lot more comfortable for me. Truthfully I didn't feel much difference in the power he had because at 168 there are a lot of fighters with good power as well. In about a week we will make a decision after I speak to my promoter and to my team," said Ramirez.
He hopes to fight for a title in his next bout and is very interested in facing WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev.
"I want Kovalev. I have been watching him for a long time. He is a good champion and was a pound-for-pound fighter. That is why I want to fight him," Ramirez stated.
The Russian lost his title last August when he was stopped by big underdog Eleider Alvarez in Atlantic City. He rebounded in February to dominate Alavarez over 12 rounds to win an unanimous decision.
Ramirez was impressed with the adjustments Kovalev made the second time around. The rematch was Kovalev's first with trainer Buddy McGirt in his corner.
"He did good. He kept his distance and moved around the ring. He did really good," Ramirez told BoxingScene.com.
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