INGLEWOOD — Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez made history on Saturday, becoming the first Mexican national to claim a boxing world championship title at cruiserweight.
Coming in as the betting favorite against undefeated WBA super world cruiserweight title holder Arsen Goulamirian, who prior to his appearance at the YouTube Theater had not fought outside of a French-speaking locale, Ramirez took the Armenian-born champion’s title and undefeated status with a well-earned unanimous decision
Judges Zachary Young, Fernando Villarreal and Carla Caiz were lock-step for Ramirez, delivering scores of 118-110 across the board.
The victory made Ramirez a two-time world champion, adding to his legacy as the first and only Mexican to hold a super middleweight title at 168 pounds, which he won in 2016.
Two years ago, the southpaw Zurdo fell short in his attempt to match his countryman Julio Cesar Gonzalez as a light heavyweight champion, but was out-classed against the unbeaten Dmitry Bivol.
“The hardest fight is with myself,” Ramirez said. “Sometimes I didn’t believe in myself but I had to continue. Even for my loss, everyone thought ‘Zurdo’ is done. But I am not done yet. I want to be a champion. Now I’m a champion. I want to be a legend. I want to be a cruiserweight undisputed world champion, and I will prove to myself that I can.”
Referee Jack Reiss had little to do throughout the 36-minute tussle, which brought an announced crowd of 3,200 to the SoFi Stadium-adjacent venue.
Opening with a pace usually reserved for lighter weight classes, the dethroned champion responded when he could close the gap, cracking Ramirez with rights to the body and left hooks to the head, but as the fight unfolded it was the Mexican’s slick work on the inside that paid the most dividends, surprising Goulamirian and his trainer Abel Sanchez.
Ramirez shook off numerous power punches, and kept up his pace against the economical 36-year-old Goulamirian, who said he felt ring-rust into the latter stages of the fight.
“It affected me a lot,” said Goulamarian, who had not fought since November of 2022. “The hands, I didn’t throw them as much as I’d like to.”
The uppercut up the middle was Ramirez’s best weapon of the fight, repeatedly connecting against Goulamirian (27-1, 18 KO) as he staked out the center of the ring or worked against the ropes.
Goulamirian’s straight-ahead approach played into Ramirez’s plan. The Mexican stepped in and out, stuck and moved, and flirted with danger with his back to the ropes. But he found room to circle away and create space when he wanted, en route to compiling lopsided punch stats in his favor.
Despite never fighting at the 200-pound cruiserweight limit, Zurdo, who walks around at 215, felt, correctly, that the division would suit.
Goulamirian may have carried more power into the ring, but could not answer the varied approach offered by the new 32-year-old champion from Mazatlan, who also showed a stout chin during numerous exchanges as the fight unfolded.
“He took my punches really well,” Goulamirian said.
Goualamirian was able to defend the title against Ramirez thanks to a special permit granted by the WBA, which assigned him a mandatory title challenger last October.
Ramirez (46-1, 30 KO) must now fight the 38-year-old Cuban Yunier Dorticos within 120 days.
“I’m so proud of myself, of my team, for everyone,” Ramirez said. “We did a great job.”
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In the co-main event of the six-bout undercard, former WBO welterweight champion Alexis Rocha (24-2, 16 KO), a 26-year-old fighter from Santa Ana, avenged his first defeat in four years, a sixth-round, title-losing effort in October, to tear through Fredrick Lawson (30-5, 22 KO) with a seventh-round stoppage.
Rocha dropped Lawson, 34, early in Round 6 with a left cross before upping his pressure while unloading a slew of punches to close out the following round, after which the Ghanian’s corner stopped the fight.
“I refuse to lose sight of my dream,” Rocha said, “and I urge you all to do the same.”
Also, Ricardo Sandoval (24-2, 17 KO), a Rialto-based super flyweight, traded blows with Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago (38-13-1, 22 KO) en route to a stoppage by the ringside physician following eight of their 10 scheduled rounds.