As previously reported by BoxingScene.com, Mexico’s Gilberto Ramirez (44-0, 30 KO) will challenge WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KO) on November 5 in Abi Dhabi.
The opportunity for the title shot did not come easy: Ramirez pushed for the opportunity for some time and finally secured the opportunity after the WBA ordered Bivol to face him.
Ramirez has a theory as to why it took so long to get the fight.
“I feel like his team doesn’t want him to fight me,” Ramirez told BoxingScene.com. “It’s a great fight and they know he can lose.”
At Ramírez’s point, Matchroom Boxing sought to have Bivol (20-0, 11KOs) first face England’s Joshua Buatsi (16-0, 13KOs) in a voluntary defense. The WBA denied an appeal seeking permission for a waiver, leading to the next mandatory defense.
Bivol has made eight successful defenses, none bigger than his most recent victory. The 31-year-old fighter from St. Petersburg, Russia, hailing from Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, is coming off a twelve-round unanimous decision over Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez (57-2-2, 39KOs), vastly outclassing the Mexican superstar in his 7 May headlining DAZN Pay-Per-View at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Golden Boy Promotions had Ramirez headline a DAZN show on May 14, keeping him on track to face Bivol without having to wait any longer than necessary. The Mexican southpaw did the part for him, knocking out Germany’s Dominic Boesel in the fourth round of their WBA-sanctioned final eliminator.
There was a two-month wait before the WBA formally ordered the title fight, long enough for Matchroom to look at alternative plans, but not long enough to get Ramirez out of the way.
“They wanted to get him another fight, maybe get him a little more money,” Ramirez theorized. “But everyone wants to see this fight, no (Bivol-Buatsi).
“We are two warriors in the ring and it is a fight that people want to see.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
