Gilberto Ramirez hires new trainer ahead of April 12 fight

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez will have a new trainer when he moves up to the light heavyweight division on April 12, part of the Lomachenko-Crolla card from Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Ramirez (39-0, 25 KO) will face an opponent to be named, and Julian Chua will be in his corner, replacing Hector Zapari. Ramirez has also split from Hector’s father, Jesus Zapari, who had served as Ramirez’s manager.

The split is reportedly due to financial issues between the fighter and the Zaparis.

Ramirez, 27, still holds the WBO super middleweight title, and doesn’t plan to vacate just yet. He’s had some trouble making the weight for recent fights, but it looks like he wants to see how he feels fighting at 175 before making a firm decision on his future, though it’s expected he’ll be staying at 175, where there would be bigger fights available to him against the likes of Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Sergey Kovalev, Artur Beterbiev, or Eleider Alvarez.