Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs Yunieski Gonzalez predictions: Who wins the fight on Saturday?

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez returns to action this Saturday night on DAZN, headlining a card from San Antonio against Yunieski Gonzalez in a WBA light heavyweight title eliminator, with a shot at Dmitry Bivol on the line.

Will Ramirez stay undefeated and make a possible final move toward taking a crack at a world title in a second division, or can Gonzalez upset the odds?

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs Yunieski Gonzalez predictions

Scott Christ (64-22)

Probably depends mostly on Gonzalez which way this fight goes. Obviously there’s the chance he could pull an upset, but I mean more whether this gets drawn outover a 12-round distance or it ends early. That will depend on one of two things: How aggressive a 36-year-old Gonzalez wants to be, and how washed a 36-year-old Gonzalez might be.

The Cuban veteran hasn’t fought anyone of note since he was stopped in three by Gvozdyk in 2017, and he’d already proven limited in losses to Jean Pascal and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in 2015. Zurdo isn’t a mega talent or anything, but he’s pretty consistent, and he goes with what a fight is giving him. If he rips to the body the way he did with another aging Cuban, Sullivan Barrera, back in July, there might not be much Gonzalez can do about it. The fact this is a WBA eliminator is ridiculous because Gonzalez hasn’t so much as been in the ring with a contender in four years, but that part’s just “boxing for you,” and if Zurdo wins, it should set up an order for him against Bivol, which is a good fight. Ramirez TKO-8

Wil Esco (70-16)

I actually expect this to be a more competitive fight than most do, but the bottom line is I think Zurdo is better equipped to win on points should this fight go the distance, which is my expectation. There will be moments where I think Ramirez will get lured into some exchanges that might test his resilience, but I do think he’s sturdy enough to endure what Gonzalez will be bringing to the table. Ramirez might not put on a performance that’s going to wow a lot of fans, but I do think he’ll be willing to throw and will do the cleaner work and be the busier fighter over the entirety to take a fight that appears a little wider on the cards than it seemed in the ring. Ramirez UD-12

Patrick L. Stumberg (71-15)

I spent a bit of time pondering ways to gussy up the phrase “Zurdo’s going to beat his ass,” but do I really have to? Zurdo’s going to beat his ass. While Gonzalez can punch and has a solid body attack. Ramirez has him outclassed in speed, footwork, and punching technique. Ramirez figures to dominate at range, and even if Gonzalez does get inside, Ramirez proved his ability to hold his own in the pocket against Sullivan Barrera.

I’m not trying to paint Ramirez as some untouchable monster, just pointing out that an aging, plodding slugger whose best finish came against Tommy Karpency isn’t going to give him much difficulty. So long as Ramirez has the inclination to close the show, he’ll overwhelm Gonzalez before too long. Ramirez TKO-4

And the staff winner is...

Photo by Sye Williams/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (3-0)!