WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramírez (47-1, 30 KOs) was ordered by the WBA to defend against his mandatory Yuniel Dorticós (27-2, 25 KOs) in his next fight.
Dorticos, 38, born in Cuba, has fought only three times in the last four years, beating obscure low-level opponents to earn the mandatory spot in the World Boxing Association. It’s not ideal for a fighter to be ranked number one, but the cruiserweight division lacks talent. Dorticos is one of the few good fighters in this weight class and he is not young.
Delayed unification
Ramirez’s plans to fight a unification against the IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia must be suspended. He will have to wait until he finishes this fight against Dorticos. Of course, there’s always the possibility of an exit deal if Ramirez’s promoters at Golden Boy want to go that route.
It’s a shame the IBF didn’t use former WBA champion Arsen Goulamirian as a mandatory, but that wouldn’t make sense either, given that Ramirez beat him last year on March 30 by a 12-round unanimous decision. Still, that would be infinitely better than a fight against an inactive Dorticos.
