Sunday Convo: ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez Has Found His Place At Cruiserweight

It was a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon outside of the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA, which isn’t the norm when you speak of Southern California weather in March. Although it was cold outside, things got hot inside for the WBA cruiserweight title fight between Arsen Goulamirian (27-1, 19 KOs) & Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs). FightsATW was at the fight reporting live from ringside (it was actually on the stage portion of the venue which was a better view).

The fight wasn’t highly anticipated as Zurdo Ramirez has put on some less-than-entertaining performances in the past, and Goulamirian last fought in 2022. While most of the attention was in Las Vegas for the junior middleweight title fight, surprisingly, the fans that attended this event got there early and filled most of the seats by the start of the telecast. After fans were vocal all night and cheering loudly, it was time for the main event that everyone was there to see.

When the fight began, Ramirez and Goulamirian did not waste any time and wanted to give the fans an entertaining fight. One thing that stood out immediately was that Ramirez’s Ring IQ was levels beyond Goulamirian’s. His footwork helped him escape the ropes, and the minute Goulamirian got too close, he held and slid out to avoid trouble. Ramirez used his right jab and straight left hand for most of the first half of the fight but would then incorporate the left & right uppercut, which he couldn’t miss during the second half. Goulamirian had plenty of moments as he had Ramirez’s head snapping back a lot, but credit to both men, who landed some huge shots but took them well. They were both in great shape and took the fight seriously.

Ramirez would win unanimously but had to earn every bit of it against Goulamirian. During the post-fight interview, Ramirez, filled with emotions, reflected on what the win meant to him as he is the first Mexican cruiserweight champion in history.

“Dreams come true. Los sueños se hacen realidad,” said Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. “Thank you to everyone who supported me and believed in me and also those who didn’t give me a chance. Thank you because it gave me great motivation, this is not just my new belt, this is the result of all the hard work of my team. I worked hard every day and I feel so proud of myself, I feel so happy for my family. This is for my dad too! I’m a big boy, I’m strong, and that’s what gave me the confidence. He told me he would break me mentally and physically and I knew that he couldn’t.”

Ramirez would go on to say that he wanted to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion. That is something his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, will start working on but will likely require Ramirez to travel outside of the U.S. to do so.

Zurdo’s performance on Saturday night won back the fans who didn’t believe he could return to having entertaining fights. If he can continue this style of fighting within the cruiserweight division, he can not only have fans anticipate his fights, but the other champions will likely want to book a fight with him soon.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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