Gilberto Ramirez and Jake Paul return to the ring in separate bouts on June 28 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. There is a potential showdown on the horizon between the two fighters, according to “Zurdo.”
Two-division champion “Zurdo” Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) makes his ring appearance in the 12-round co-feature. Mexico’s newly crowned unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion makes the first defense of his belts. He is opposed by former two-time champion Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) from Cuba.
Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) – YouTuber turned pro boxer from Cleveland, Ohio – takes on former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (54-6-1, 34 KOs) of Mexico. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds at cruiserweight. The pair battle it out atop the fight card.
“This is a great opportunity, and I look forward to putting on a great performance for my fans,” Ramirez said. “I think there is a chance of a possible world title fight in the future against Paul. He mentioned that he was ‘ready’ to challenge me during a recent press conference. I do believe he’s a man of his words and that he meant it.”
“His [Chavez Jr.’s] father is one of my favorite fighters of all-time and he did inspire me as a youth to pursue boxing. I think my fans and Chavez’ will support both of us. We are both from Sinaloa, Mexico, and have a lot of pride in our culture and country.”
In addition to facing off against Paul, 34-year-old southpaw Ramirez looks to challenge other champions at 200 lbs. Jai Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs) from Australia is a two-time and current IBF titleholder. Three-weight champion Badou Jack (29-3-3, 17 KOs) from Sweden is a current WBC champion.
“The goal is still the same – becoming undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. But we can still make the Paul fight next. We’ll see if he’s about the action or if it was just talk. I’m getting close to 50 wins, but my focus has always been on becoming a legend in the sport and collecting belts.”
Among the bouts featured on the Paul vs Chavez undercard, former champion Tevin Farmer (33-8-1, 8 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA and Floyd Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) of Jersey City, NJ square off at lightweight. Avious Griffin (17-0, 16 KOs) of Chattanooga, TN and Julian Rodriguez (23-1, 14 KOs) of Hoboken, NJ clash at welterweight. Another welterweight matchup pits Raul Curiel (15-0-1, 13 KOs) from Mexico against Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez (16-0-1, 9 KOs) of Uruguay.