WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billiam and WBA champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will meet in a 12-round unification bout on November 16 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This two-belt unification clash between ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) and Billiam Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) is part of a Riyadh Season event.
Ramirez’s resurgence at Cruiserweight
It’s a throw-up fight. Ramirez, 33, has turned his career around since losing to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on November 5, 2022 and then moving up to cruiserweight.
Zurdo Ramirez has won his last two fights since then, defeating Joe Smith Jr. beating and dethroning WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian by a 12-round unanimous decision, winning a 12-round unanimous decision on March 30 in Inglewood, California.
Billiam Smith (33) has won 11 fights in a row and has looked outstanding recently, beating Richard Riakporhe, Mateusz Masternak, Lawrence Okolie, Armend Xhoxhaj and Isaac Chamberlain.
Smith’s win over WBO champion Okolie was particularly impressive because many boxing fans predicted the 6’5″ Lawrence would win. It is unclear whether Okolie’s struggle to make weight factor into the loss. It was clear that he was at cruiserweight at the end of his run and needed to move up in weight.
Former WBO super middleweight champion Zurdo Ramirez has changed his fighting style in his last two fights, from a volume puncher to a smart boxer.
He used movement, jabs and clinch to win his last two fights against Joe Smith Jr. and beating Arsen Goulamirian to reinvent himself as a cruiserweight after his loss to Bivol.
Ramirez will need more than tricks to win against Billiam Smith, as he will be applying a lot of pressure, and he will have no trouble dealing with the 6’3″ champion’s mobility.
It is unclear who will be on the undercard of the Ramirez vs. Billiam Smith fight will be, but as this is a Riyadh season event, there should be some interesting fights.
Rumored undercard
- William Zepeda vs. Tevin Boer
- Jose Ramirez vs. Arnold Barboza
- Bek ‘The Bully’ Vs. Lester Martinez
- Oscar Duarte vs. Kenneth Sims Jr
5 exceptional matches at “Latino Night” in Riyadh 🇸🇦🏆
featuring a main fight between Cruiserweight Champions Ramirez (WBA) and Smith (WBO), along with fights with top boxing 🥊🔥🗓️ November 16
📍 The Venue #BigTime#Riyadh Season pic.twitter.com/0iO06YP4q0— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) September 10, 2024
