By: Hans Themistode
Gilberto Ramirez has continued to shout and scream in the direction of Dmitry Bivol.
Since making the move to the 175-pound division in 2019 and subsequently dropping his super middleweight world title in the process, the Mexican native has set his sights on facing the current WBA belt holder. In an effort to lure Bivol to the negotiating table, Ramirez has continued to make quick work of his opponents.
This past weekend, at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, Ramirez battered Yunieski Gonzalez for the majority of their contest. The end result was the 30-year-old’s fourth straight stoppage victory.
As for Bivol, the 31-year-old Russian product easily defended his light heavyweight crown one week prior against fringe contender Umar Salamov. Although Bivol won the vast majority of their 12 rounds, Ramirez was unimpressed with his performance.
“I think you saw the last fight he did,” said Ramirez to a group of reporters following his win over Gonzalez. “He was nothing surprising.”
Despite being apathetic towards Bivol’s performance, the 175-pound titlist has held a piece of the light heavyweight crown for the better part of six years. Along the way, Bivol has defeated the likes of Sullivan Barrera, Jean Pascal, and Joe Smith Jr.
Still, regardless of the long list of former and current champions that Bivol has ultimately defeated during his title reign, Ramirez believes that a showdown between them would be increasingly one-sided.
“I think I can beat him, easily.”
Presently, Ramirez is driven by becoming a two-division champion. But while the 30-year-old would love nothing more than to strip Bivol of his WBA title, if a showdown between them hits a snag during negotiations, Ramirez would welcome a contest against WBO champion and former Bivol foe, Joe Smith Jr.
“Of course I’m ready. We ready to take all the belts.”