Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez signs multi-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, former super middleweight titleholder and current light heavyweight contender, has signed a multi-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions, with his next fight to be announced soon.

The 29-year-old Ramirez (41-0, 27 KO) left Top Rank in the summer of 2020 to set out on his own, and did one self-promoted fight in December, beating over-matched veteran Alfonso Lopez easily in Texas.

But to get bigger fights, Ramirez was always going to have to agree to a deal with a major outfit. Matchroom, Premier Boxing Champions, Golden Boy seemed the logical fits, and “Zurdo” says Golden Boy was the best fit.

“After several discussions, Golden Boy Promotions made the most sense and felt like the best partners for me,” said Ramirez. “They understood the goals and the agendas I have and I have full faith in Oscar (De La Hoya) and the team to make the big fights happen. I look forward to working with them closely and to this new chapter of my career.”

Golden Boy Chairman and CEO De La Hoya is understandably happy to add another quality, in-prime fighter to the GBP roster.

“Mexican boxing has been a worldwide force in this sport for as long as I can remember,” said De La Hoya. “Along with its legacy of courageous fighters, it possesses a fanbase with a unique culture and energy that comes alive every single time its fighters step into the ring.

“That’s why we are delighted to have signed Gilberto Ramirez to a multi-fight deal, an undefeated former world champion from the land of warriors in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. As we in the United States look towards re-opening to bigger and bigger audiences, we know that Ramirez will bring even more excitement to the stacked 175-pound division as he sets course for all the world champions.”

This means that Ramirez will be fighting on DAZN going forward. The logical big target would be WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol, who is with Matchroom Boxing and thus also a DAZN fighter. Otherwise, the 175-pound division is fairly well controlled by Top Rank. Artur Beterbiev has the WBC and IBF belts, while the vacant WBO belt will be contested between Joe Smith Jr and Maxim Vlasov. Some of the other top names in the division — Jean Pascal, Marcus Browne, Badou Jack — are PBC guys.

The other possible big name for Ramirez on a Golden Boy deal would be Sergey Kovalev, who was meant to face Bektemir Melikuziev in January, but failed a drug test. Kovalev is 37 and his career is in some question now, but he also maintains some name value and credibility, and it’s not like failed drug tests have really ruined anyone’s career before. Maybe Jarrell Miller, we’ll see.