WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) has been ordered by the WBA to defend against his mandatory Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) in his next fight.
Cuba-born Dorticos, 38, has fought just three times in the last four years, beating obscure low-level opposition to earn the mandatory spot with the World Boxing Association. It’s not ideal for a fighter to grab the #1 slot, but the cruiserweight division is barren of talent. Dorticos is one of the few good fighters in this weight class, and he’s not young.
Unification Delayed
Ramirez’s plans to fight a unification against IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia must be put on hold. He’ll have to wait until he gets this fight out of the way against Dorticos. Of course, there’s always the possibility of a step-aside deal if Ramirez’s promoters at Golden Boy want to go that route.
It’s too bad the IBF didn’t use former WBA champion Arsen Goulamirian as the mandatory, but that would make no sense either, given that Ramirez beat him last year on March 30th by a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision. Still, that would be infinitely better than a fight against an inactive Dorticos.
