clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Zurdo Ramirez expecting “explosive” fight with Sullivan Barrera

Zurdo’s Golden Boy debut is just a couple of weeks away.

Sye Williams/Golden Boy
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

Former 168 lb titleholder Zurdo Ramirez is set for his Golden Boy debut on July 9, where he’ll face longtime light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera in a 175 lb main event from Los Angeles.

Ramirez (41-0, 27 KO) has spent a couple of years not doing much, though still making some headlines here and there. He split with Top Rank in July 2020, 15 months after his last fight, a win over Tommy Karpency where Ramirez was dipping a toe at 175. He returned last December on a self-promoted card in Texas, then signed with Golden Boy in February of this year.

“I’m happy to be with Golden Boy. I joined them because Oscar De La Hoya is my idol,” Ramriez said. “I have been watching him since I was a kid. Also, he is a legend, and that’s what I want to be as well. Together we can make that happen.”

The deal with Golden Boy gives Ramirez a much better chance of getting into relevant fights than he would have had promoting himself, and he’ll start against Barrera (22-3, 14 KO), a 39-year-old Cuban veteran who hasn’t fought since June 2019, when he lost to Jesse Hart. It’s kind of a last chance to get back to a title fight for Barrera — or should be, in theory he could lose and find himself as a WBO mandatory challenger pretty quickly if someone wants him to be, but that’s boxing.

Ramirez figures it will be a fan-friendly fight, saying, “I expect an explosive fight. We both will come forward. People like seeing explosive fights, and that’s what we are going to deliver. I am doing everything I can in camp to make sure that I win.”

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bad Left Hook Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook