WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) has been ordered by the WBA to defend against mandatory Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) in his next fight.
Cuban-born Dorticos, 38, has fought just three times in the past four years, beating obscure low-level opposition to earn the mandatory spot at 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 plans to have a unification fight against the IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia must be stopped. He will have to wait until he gets this fight out of the way against Dorticos. Of course, there’s always the possibility of a side 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 mandatory, but that wouldn’t make any sense either, as Ramirez beat him by a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision on March 30 last year. Still, it would be infinitely better than a battle against an inactive Dorticos.
 has been ordered by the WBA to defend against his mandatory Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25){kind=link}
