Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez expects nothing short of a warm reception even amidst a crowded boxing schedule in the Southern California region.
Three major shows will take place within 60 miles of each other on May 14. Ramirez’s upcoming light heavyweight bout with Germany’s Dominic Boesel (32-2, 12KOs) was the last to be added to the bunch, airing live on DAZN from Toyota Center in Ontario, California. Roughly 55 miles west are competing shows on Showtime and Triller, though Mexico’s Ramirez figures to have the best chance of appealing to the regional fans.
“I’m always excited to fight in California,” Ramirez told BoxingScene.com. “There are a lot of Mexican people in the Los Angeles area, a lot of Latino boxing fans. It means a lot to be able to return here.”
Ramirez (43-0, 29KOs) made his Golden Boy Promotions debut at Banc of California Stadium on the USC campus last July. The union proved to be a rousing success, with Ramirez stopping faded former title challenger Sullivan Barrera in the fourth round of their DAZN main event in front of a passionate crowd.
A stay-busy win over Yunieski Gonzalez last December in San Antonio ran Ramirez’s mark to 4-0 (4KOs) since moving up to light heavyweight in 2019 following a WBO super middleweight title reign.
The goal has always been to become light heavyweight champion, leading to his upcoming clash with Boesel which serves as a final eliminator for the WBA title. Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11KOs) is the current claimant, as he is set to defend versus pound-for-pound king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (57-1-2, 39KOs) one week prior on May 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Even a win on May 14 can leave Ramirez waiting at least one more fight. Alvarez—should he beat Bivol—is already poised for a return to super middleweight for a defense of his undisputed championship versus Gennadiy Golovkin, the two-time and current IBF/WBA middleweight titlist who will move up for their September 17 trilogy clash.
In the meantime, continuing to grow a fanbase in the L.A region can only further enhance his value.
“This fight is a good step towards my overall goal of becoming light heavyweight champion,” noted Ramirez. “Dominic will be coming to take everything away from me. I can’t allow that to happen, especially in front of all my Mexican fans.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox