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Philippines, 17 Nov 2024 |
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GILBERTO ‘ZURDO’ RAMIREZ MAKES HISTORY AS THE FIRST-EVER MEXICAN TO BECOME UNIFIED WBA AND WBO CRUISERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION PhilBoxing.com Sun, 17 Nov 2024  LATINO NIGHT EVENT LIVE ON DAZN WORLDWIDE IN RIYADH SEASON EVENT WAS PRESENTED BY GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS AND WAS BROADCAST FREE GLOBALLY RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (November 16, 2024) – The historic Latino Night card from Golden Boy Promotions lived up to expectations and showcased the latin boxing spirit to fans live worldwide for free from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a highly anticipated main event, Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) defeated Chris Billam Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) by unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 116-113) to become the unified WBA and WBO Cruiserweight World Champion in a thrilling, back-and-forth affair. Ramirez embraced Latino Night to the fullest, putting the pride of Mexico on his back and delivering a dominating performance for fans around the world on DAZN. When asked how he was able to put on this performance, Ramirez exclaimed, “Hard training and I tried to enjoy the night. I told everyone I would represent Latino Night very well.” Ramirez peppered the Englishman throughout the bout, landing 36 more jabs and 13 extra body punches than his opponent. “Me and my team were prepared, we knew that he’s a tough fighter and a strong guy. It was an honor for me to fight him and get the belt,” Ramirez shared following the fight. Billam-Smith refused to wilt and returned the favor with hard shots to press the action, hanging tough and ultimately landing more power punches than Ramirez over the tenth, eleventh and twelfth rounds. Ultimately, Billam-Smith could not overcome the consistent damage that Ramirez inflicted throughout the bout, sharing “I think consistency with Zurdo tonight was what won it for him. All respect to him, it’s been a real honor to fight on Latino night.” Ramirez continuously landed punches on Billam-Smith, connecting for a gash above his eye. When asked if the cut gave him any problems over the course of the fight, Billam-Smith admitted, “A little bit, but that’s part of the sport. At times it was going blurry but the cutsman was doing a good job. There were a few rounds where I couldn’t see out of that eye, but no excuses, it was his work (Zurdo’s) that got the job done.” Utilizing superior footwork to pressure his opponent, Ramirez continued his quest to become the first Mexican-born fighter to unify the cruiserweight division. “I tried to use my distance as much as I could. He’s tough, he comes forward all the time and he’s a strong fighter. I just have respect for him, he’s a great champion. Of course, I want to unify with all the champions. That’s the main goal for me and other champions.” Reflecting on the action of the main event, Oscar De La Hoya heaped praise on the contest. “Obviously in the past we haven’t given the cruiserweight contenders the credit, but tonight they fought like lightweights, they hit like heavyweights, what a great combination!” When looking ahead to potential next opponents for the new unified cruiserweight champ, De La Hoya added, “I’m very happy Zurdo wants to not only become the unified world champion, but he wants to be known as one of the greats. That mentality will take you a long way.” In the co-main event, undefeated title contender and current No.1 WBO-ranked Arnold Barboza Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif., kept his record intact with an upset victory over former U.S. Olympian and unified world champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) of Avenal, Calif., in a scheduled 10-round super lightweight bout (97-93, 96-94, and 96-94). Barboza threw 150 more punches than Ramirez and landed 36 more jabs, showcasing his superior strategy and output. Ramirez attempted to pressure Barbosa, but he struggled to pull the trigger and establish a consistent offense. Barbosa took full advantage, peppering Ramirez with jabs and strategic power punches that disrupted the former champion’s rhythm. “This has been a long time coming,” said Barboza from the ring. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to fight a great, ex-unified world champion for a long time. It’s an honor, I respect Jose Ramirez as a fighter, as a person, as a father – he stands for everything you can stand for. This is something I’ve been waiting for my whole career. It’s been 11 years in the making, I was close to hanging them up.” Both fighters, 32, entered the ring with significant experience, but it was Barboza’s measured strategy and superior ring generalship that earned him the edge. Ramirez, known for his relentless style and vicious left hook, had moments of success, particularly in the second half of the fight. However, it was Barboza’s discipline and ability to control the pace of the fight that led him to victory. Following his commanding victory, Barboza is looking ahead with his sights set on a title, “I’ve been ranked no.1 contender for the past two years, I would love a title shot. I’m 31-0 now and I think I’m the only fighter at the top that hasn’t gotten a shot. I’m here and want a strap around my body, any belt.” On facing criticism: “I heard it all. My father does a great job of telling me to pay no mind to it. . But I hear it. All the people that talk, I hear it. Keep my head down, turn my phone off, stay off social media. Shout out to my dad, he’s the best trainer. This night isn’t my night, it’s his night.” Further action on the Latino Night card featured William “El Camarón” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) of San Mateo, Mexico, challenging former American IBF World Champion Tevin “2X” Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pa., in a 10-round lightweight battle for the interim WBC title. The back-and-forth contest went the distance as both southpaws exchanged relentless blows, with Zepeda securing a split decision victory, (95-94, 94-95, 95-94). Farmer displayed an impressive performance as the underdog, landing a second round knockdown with a left hand counter and successfully landing 33% of his punches throughout the fight. Following the fight, when asked if he was still one of the top guys in the division, Farmer commented “Absolutely. This guy (Zepeda) has been stopping his last 11 or 12 opponents, you saw what I just did there. My goal was to put pressure on him.” Zepeda, however, never slowed up, throwing 191 more punches than his opponent, gaining him the edge in the fight. After being asked about his performance on the night, Zepeda shared: “We knew it was going to be a really tough fight. Farmer is really experienced and a great fighter. It shows that there’s a lot of things I have to perfect going forward, but I’m happy with my performance tonight.” With anticipation swirling around what comes next for Zepeda and a shot at facing Shakur Stevenson, Zepeda commented: “We’re waiting with confidence to receive that firm offer and we will take that opportunity.” In a masterful performance, Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (11-0, 8 KOs), the new WBA, WBO, and Ring Magazine Minimumweight World Champion, made Puerto Rican history once again by knocking out the longest-reigning WBA Minimumweight Champion, Thammanoon “Knockout CP Freshmart” Niyomtrong (25-1, 9 KOs). Collazo sent Niyomtrong to the mat in the sixth and seventh rounds before delivering a brutal left uppercut that floored him a third time. Referee Rick Gonzalez waived off the fight at 1:29 in the seventh round. “A lot of people doubted me,” said Collazo after the fight. “I have a lot of respect for the reigning champion [Niyomtrong], but I am the king at 105 pounds now, and this title is for my beautiful island of Puerto Rico." “I’m putting the 105-pound division on notice,” he added. “I want all the belts. I’ve made history tonight, and I want to make history again by becoming the first undisputed champion from Puerto Rico.” Mexico’s Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) secured a unanimous decision victory over Uzbekistan’s two-time world title challenger Botirzhon “The Shark” Akhmedov (10-4, 9 KOs) in a tightly contested 10-round bout at a 142-pound catchweight (98-92, 96-94, 97-93). The fight was marked by shifts in momentum and a display of resilience from both fighters. Ahmedov stepped in on short notice to replace Kennth Sims Jr., who was sidelined due to injury, and dominated the early rounds, setting the pace and controlling the fight with his activity. Duarte, trained by renowned coach Joel Diaz, rebounded in the later rounds using his three-inch reach advantage to land more jabs and shift the tide in his favor. Duarte, whose only previous losses were to Ryan Garcia and a split-decision against Adrian Estrella in 2019, delivered a highlight moment in the eighth round, rocking Akhmedov with a massive right hook. Despite the blow, Akhmedov recovered quickly and continued pressing forward. The fight was a classic clash of southpaw vs. orthodox with both fighters trading momentum throughout. Akhmedov’s relentless work rate kept him in the mix, but Duarte’s sharper, cleaner punches in the later rounds—especially in the final moments—made the difference, even as he fought through a cut. “He’s a great opponent," said Duarte after the fight. "We've trained together. He's a warrior, but I had a tremendous training camp and was very well prepared. I followed my corner’s instructions to the letter, and I was able to do enough to clearly win the fight. Akhmedov is a formidable adversary. He was relentless and always coming forward, so we decided to start coming forward as well and flip the contest to dictate the pace, concentrating on power shots and blows to the head.” When asked about what’s next for him, Duarte said: "I’m ready for anyone who wants to fight me. I want to face the best at 140 pounds. As a matter of fact, now that Devin Haney is back, I’d like to fight him because he’s one of the best in my division. But I’m open to fighting anyone—I want to go up against the top fighters out there." In the opening bout of an action-packed night, unbeaten welterweight prospect Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0-1, 1 KO) faced off against the tough Juan Garcia (5-6-1) in an entertaining back-and-forth contest that ended in a majority draw (58-56 Almaayouf, 57-57, 57-57). While Almaayouf showed improvement, Garcia made it far from easy for the hometown hero, keeping the fight highly competitive. Garcia, stepping into the six-round contest on short notice, impressed by landing over 53% of his punches, compared to Almaayouf's 27%. ### For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing.  |
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