By: Sean Crose
Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez may have lost confidence leading up to this weekend’s light heavyweight title fight against reigning WBA champion Dmitry Bivol in Abu Dahbi, but confidence alone won’t be enough for Ramirez to claim victory. Suffice it to say that when the bell rang at the end of the twelfth round on Saturday, it was certain that the lovable Ramirez didn’t do his job.
Although both fighters were undefeated (Ramirez was 44-0 while Bivol was 22-0), it was Bivol who controlled the tempo of the match from the start. At first, Ramirez appeared almost hesitant to join. However, when he finally decided to throw combos, Bivol was able to use his impressive defensive skills to keep himself out of trouble.
The reality is that the fight is basically a boxing lesson. While large and powerful, Ramirez couldn’t adjust to Bivol’s deception, simply hitting and not hitting style. The defending champion’s footwork was possibly the most impressive part of his performance on Saturday. When all was said and done, Bivol walked out of the ring in Abu Dhabi with the WBA title still in his possession, thanks to a unanimous decision nod from the referees.
