Philippines, 12 Jul 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Gilberto Ramirez vs. Alfonso Lopez Headlines "Battle of Rio Grande"

PhilBoxing.com





Live Dec. 18th on pay-per-view from Galveston, Texas

GALVESTON, Texas (November 30, 2020) -- There is a Texas showdown coming December 18th called the "Battle of Rio Grande," in which undefeated, former world super middleweight champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (40-0, 26 KOs) challenges North American Boxing Federation (NABF) light heavyweight Alfonso "El Tigre" Lopez (32-3, 25 KOs), live on pay per view from Galveston Island Convention Center in Galveston, Texas.

"Battle of Rio Grande" will be available for live viewing on digital, cable and satellite, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, on pay per view for a suggested retail price of only $24.99. FITE will stream worldwide on the FITE mobile apps, all major OTT apps and website (www.FITE.tv), and Integrated Sports Media will distribute throughout North America via DirecTV, iN Demand, and DISH in the United States, as well as in Canada on Shaw and SaskTel.

The main event fighters, Ramirez and Lopez, are co-promoters of "Battle of Rio Grande" under their promotional company names, respectively, Zurdo Promotions and El Tigre Promotions.

Ramirez, 29, became the first Mexican super middleweight champion of the world in 2016 with a 12-round unanimous decision over World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion Arthur Abraham (44-4). The multi-gifted southpaw "Zurdo" (means left-handed in English) from Mazatlán, Mexico, went on to make five successful title defences, including three against unbeaten challengers Jesse Hart (25-0), Habif Ahmed (25-0-1), and Roamer Alexis Angulo (23-0).

Ramirez moved up to light heavyweight for his last fight a year ago, when he stopped 29-6-1 Tommy Karpency in four rounds, after which Ramirez became a promotional free agent. "Battle of Rio Grande" is his first event as a promoter.

"Promoting is not an easy job," Ramirez said, "but I have good people behind me. They've got my back and we work very well together. I was world champion and now I'm a promoter; I see the big picture. I don't want to be fighting forever. I started my own promotional company so that when I retire, I will have a good life after boxing. There's no stress on me as a promoter, the stress is on my team."

The 6' 3" Ramirez is a physical specimen who can dunk a basketball and could easily have been a pro athlete in a different sport like football. He follows business trends and by opening his own promotional company, he's taking advantages of the new era of boxing, in which he plans to aid fellow boxers, particularly Mexicans, by giving them a larger platform to display their skills.

Working with his opponent in terms of promoting "Battle of Rio Grande" is a sign of two fighters taking control of their careers, as well as being completely independent rather than under a promoter, although Lopez has been promoting in Texas for several years.

"We'll work together but, in the ring, he wants my 40-0 Ramirez noted. "I know he's been training a lot, so he's going to be faster and stronger, which is good for me because I like fighting good fighters. Everybody wants to take my record, but I'm training (in Santa Monica, CA) like the champion I am to give fans a good fight. He's going to bring everything he has into the ring. I expect a good fight. It's a big opportunity for him. I am fully focused on him because I want the opportunity to be world champion again."

Lopez will be riding a 10-fight win streak into the ring Dec. 18th versus Ramirez in the 12-round main event. His most recent fight was 13 months ago, when he won a 10-round decision over 19-9-1 Denis Grachev in Lopez' first defense of the NABF title he captured in his previous fight with a fourth-round stoppage of 21-3 Alex Theran.

Ramirez isn't looking past Lopez for future fights against world light heavyweight champions Artur Beterbiev (WBC & IBF) Dmitry Bivol (WBA), because he knows and respects Lopez. The media and public, in general, underappreciated Lopez and some have taken cheap shots at him in social media.

"Maybe a little but it's not a big deal," Lopez responded to being asked if he was undervalued. "I've always said that in this business, everybody has the opportunity to be seen. Gilberto's beaten quality guys and he's a world champion. I've promoted myself, mostly in Texas, and I'm well respected within the industry. If they really want to see who Gilberto is fighting, tune in, and then make decisions at the end of the fight and maybe they'll change their mind. Otherwise, they should keep their opinions to themselves instead of reading about me on social media or matching up who we've fought."

Ramirez has a marquee name, and he represents a career-changing opportunity for Lopez, who has captured four titles, including the NABF crown he'll be defending. Plus, "El Tigre" holds victories over solid opponents other than Grachev and Theran, such as Dyah Davis and Rubin Williams, and in 2011 Lopez extended Kelly Pavlik the distance in a loss by way of a 10-round majority decision.

Lopez isn't fighting Ramirez simply for a payday, to the contrary. "Nobody walks into the ring thinking they're just happy to be there," Lopez explained. "This fight will establish me as a world-class fighter. I feel that the winner will be the best in our division and the guys walking around with their belts should fight the winner. Gilberto is a great fighter who has a lot of experience as a world champion. He has physical attributes that him difficult to fight. He's strong and always in great condition. I need to be intelligent, able to read him, and in great shape.

"The fight will be about adjustments. We've both been in this game a long time and at this high level of boxing, you need to be smart and strategic, but both of us being Mexican, it could turn into a brawl at any time. People will see why nobody wants to fight either of us. I'm excited and I know he is, too. Boxing fans don't want to miss it!"

World-rated heavyweight Michael "The Bounty" Hunter will face veteran Chauncy "Hillyard Hammer" Welliver (57-13-5, 23 KOs), the former World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas champion, in the 10-round co-featured event.

Card subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $65.00, $135.00, $250.00 and $400.00 for VIP are on sale and available to purchase at www.zurdopromotions.events.com.

INFORMATION:
Website: www.ZurdoPromotions.com
Instagram: @zurdoramirez, @zurdopromotions, @eltigrepromotions, @bedefsports
Twitter: @ZurdoPromotions, @GilbertoZurdoRamirez, MichaelHunterII, @Fitetv, @IntegratedPPV




Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
    , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • 4 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • FIGHT EMPIRE! TUAZON, ADOR, DE BARBO, JOMAR, AND MORE ARE READY FOR ACTION IN BRICO SANTIG'S EXCITING SHOW JULY 12 IN THAILAND
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Shakur Stevenson and David Morrell Face "Crossroad Fights" This Saturday in Queens
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin’s “Mayhem in Music City 2” to Feature Undefeated Vic Hernandez Facing Jayvon Garnett for NABA & Jr. NABF Featherweight Championships
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • James Perkins & Anthony Andreozzi Headlines “Oceanside Prize Fights”
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • GORST PURSUES GOLDEN GLORY IN JEDDAH, DEFENDING WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SAUDI ARABIA, 21–26 JULY
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Hovhannisyan and Barrientes Set for High-Stakes Showdowns July 18 on DAZN
    , Tue, 08 Jul 2025
  • UNBEATEN PROSPECT KENNETH LLOVER TO FACE FORMER TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION LUIS CONCEPCION IN MANILA
    , Mon, 07 Jul 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.