Gilberto Ramirez is thinking big. Literally.
The former 168-pound champ, who is currently campaigning at 175, envisions himself moving up to cruiserweight and then bridgerweight (the WBC’s new invention) and finally heavyweight before all is said and done.
“Why not? I’m a big guy,” Ramirez told Boxing Junkie.
The 30-year-old Mexican, who is scheduled to fight Yunieski Gonzalez on Saturday in San Antonio (DAZN), is also thinking big in terms of accomplishments.
His career stalled after he moved up in weight after successfully defending his super middleweight title against Jesse Hart in December 2018, split with Top Rank in July of last year and navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic.
He fought only once in two years between 2018 and last year, making him an almost-forgotten man.
Then, in February, he signed with Golden Boy Promotions and appears to be back on track. He brutally stopped longtime contender Sullivan Barrera in four rounds this past July to underscore his status as a bone fide contender.
The fight with Gonzalez is being billed as a WBA title eliminator. Dmitry Bivol is the sanctioning body’s beltholder.
“It was a great performance,” Ramirez said of the Barrera fight. “On a scale of 1 to 10, I’ll give it a 9. This time I’ll be even better. I’m just waiting for that belt. I know this is a hard guy (Gonzalez), a top opponent.
“… I don’t want him to take anything from me.”
Gonzalez (21-3, 17 KOs) is a solid foe. He was reared in the Cuban amateur system, meaning he can box. And he has punching power. His last 12 victories have come by knockout.
The Miami resident’s problem is that he has come up short the three times he has stepped up in class, losing close decisions to Jean Pascal and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in 2015 and getting stopped by Oleksandr Gvozdyk in three rounds two years later.
He has beaten three second-tier opponents since the loss Gvozdyk.
“He comes forward all the time,” Ramirez said. “That’s his strategy. I think I have the skill to beat him. I don’t want to give him any chance to be a challenge.”
And if Ramirez wins?
His handlers reportedly made an offer to Bivol before the fight with Gonzalez was arranged but it wasn’t accepted. The Russian ended up defending against Umar Salamov last Saturday, winning a wide decision.
A victory on Saturday would make it more difficult for Bivol to say no.
“I will be a great victory,” he said of the Gonzalez fight. “It’s going to make me the mandatory [challenger] for the world title. I want to become two-time champion. I can’t wait, I can’t wait to get the title.
“… You can’t stop thinking big. No one call tell you what you can and can’t do. Only you.”
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