Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez is still a champion, with an even bigger fight ahead of him.
The WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion handled mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticos via unanimous decision (115-112, 115-112, 117-110) on Saturday, improving his record to 48-1. The win sets up a potential unification fight against the other top cruiserweight in the world, IBF champion Jai Opetaia.
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Ramirez said he would welcome the fight while speaking with Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani after the match:
“Yeah, that’s the fight that I want. I’m the king. Numero uno … I want it. I want it all. Get ready.”
Also looming was the main attraction of the night: Jake Paul, who is targeting a cruiserweight world title shot in 2026 and has said that his team is in discussions to challenge either Ramirez or WBC titleholder Badou Jack.
Ramirez entered the fight heavily favored to defend his belts, but the proceedings were more even than expected. Dorticos won a few of the early rounds and was on pace for the upset of the night before Ramirez adjusted, circling his opponent more and landing a series of 1-2s in the later rounds.
Ramirez clearly held the advantage on the scorecards, especially because Dorticos lost a point after the ref took a point away when he landed three straight low blows after multiple warnings.