WBA 175-lb champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) has been ordered by the World Boxing Association to defend against his number one challenger Gilberto Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs).
It’s not a big shock that the WBA has ordered the Bivol-Ramirez fight, as it was a predictable move after Ramirez’s 4th round knockout victory over #1 Dominic Boesel on May 14th.
The big 6’3″ Ramirez will have the height and weight advantage over the 6’1″ Bivol. Ramirez looks like a cruiserweight and could potentially wear down Bivol, especially if he backs up against the ropes as he did in his fight against Canelo Alvarez last May.
Ramirez has complained in the past about Bivol avoiding him, and he seems to think Dmitry doesn’t want to fight him. In comparing the two fighter’s recent performances, it’s hard to see Bivol as avoiding Ramirez because he looks like the far better fighter.
If it weren’t Ramirez that Bivol would defend against next, it would be #2 Joshua Buatsi because he earned the WBA mandatory spot with a 12-round decision victory over Craig Richards on May 21st in a title eliminator.
Bivol’s mobility, combination punching, and strong jab could present a problem for Ramirez, who has struggled in the past when matched against fighters that can put their punches together.
Ramirez can wreck Bivol’s chances of a lucrative rematch with Canelo Alvarez if he’s able to defeat him.
Bivol could potentially face Canelo in a rematch in December, and if not, then we’ll see the two battle it out next May.
Since vacating his WBO super middleweight title in 2019 and moving up to 175, Ramirez has looked good against the limited opposition he’s faced.
Ramirez promoters at Golden Boy Promotions have been careful with him, not matching him against any of the killers in the division like Buatsi, Craig Richards, Callum Smith, or Anthony Yarde.
On paper, Bivol is the better fighter of the two, and his win over Canelo Alvarez on May 7th greatly surpasses any victory on Ramirez’s 13-year professional resume.
The two fighters share a common opponent in Sullivan Barrera, who Bivol stopped in the 12th round in 2018. Ramirez knocked out Barrera in the fourth round in their fight in 2021.
Bivol fought a younger Barrera and was a lot hungrier back then compared to the 40-year-old version that Ramirez fought in July 2021.
