Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez is still a champion, with an even bigger fight potentially ahead of him.
The WBA and WBO cruiserweight titleholder handled mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticos via unanimous decision (115-112, 115-112, 117-110) on Saturday atop the Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The win potentially sets up a long-awaited unification fight against boxing’s other top cruiserweight in the world, IBF champion Jai Opetaia.
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Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) said he would welcome the fight while speaking with Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani after the match.
“That’s the fight that I want,” he said. “I’m the king. Numero uno.
“I want it, I want it all. Get ready.”
Also looming was the main attraction of the night: Jake Paul, who is targeting a cruiserweight world title shot in 2026 and has said that his team is in discussions to challenge either Ramirez or WBC titleholder Badou Jack, assuming he gets past former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Ramirez entered the fight heavily favored to defend his belts, but the proceedings were more even than expected. Dorticos (27-3, 25 KOs) won a few of the early rounds and was on pace for the upset of the night before Ramirez adjusted, circling his opponent more and landing a steady procession of one-twos in the later rounds.
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Ramirez clearly held the advantage on the scorecards, especially because Dorticos lost a point after the referee penalized him when he landed three straight low blows despite multiple warnings.
For full coverage of Paul vs. Chavez Jr., including live results, play-by-play and highlights of the entire Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. pay-per-view card, check out Uncrowned’s Paul vs. Chavez hub.
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