Unified cruiserweight world champion Gilberto Ramírez has laid down a problem to Australian boxer Jai Opetaia following the Mexican’s victory over British fighter Chris Billam-Smith in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ramírez comfortably outboxed a recreation Billam-Smith to maneuver to a profession report of 47-1 (30KOs) and add the Briton’s WBO title to the WBA crown.
The 33-year-old’s solely defeat got here towards Dmitry Bivol at mild heavyweight in 2022.
Ramírez received by unanimous resolution, the judges scoring the struggle 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113.
“After all,” Ramírez mentioned when requested whether or not he would struggle IBF and Ring champion Opetaia subsequent.
“I need to unify with all of the champions. That is the primary objective for me.”
Gilberto Ramírez now has the WBO and WBA titles. (Getty Photos: Richard Pelham)
The Mexican is not any stranger to world title fights.
A former WBO tremendous middleweight champion, Ramírez made 5 defences of his belt earlier than transferring as much as mild heavyweight, the place he suffered the one defeat of his skilled profession, difficult then-champion Bivol for his WBA title.
Opetaia, 29, is extensively thought-about the number-one cruiserweight on the planet and can be on a path to unify the division.
First, the Australian has to face obligatory IBF challenger, probably number-one ranked German Hüseyin Cinkara (22-0). Nevertheless he informed BoxingScene he was able to unify as quickly as potential.
“We have a compulsory after this one after which we’ll get the unification struggle, hopefully,” Opetaia mentioned earlier this week in an interview with BoxingScene.
“I do not care in regards to the huge build-ups and all this, simply struggle.
“You already received a belt. I already received two belts. I’ve received probably the most string-pull out of all of the cruiserweights.
“I really feel like everybody must be preventing for the Ring Journal 'Prime canine' Jai Opetaia known as out by new champion as Usyk teases return to cruiserweight division. Whoever’s received that’s the prime canine. I’ve received it. I’ve simply gotta maintain profitable – these fights will come.
Jai Opetaia is The Ring champion at cruiserweight. (Getty Photos: Matchroom Boxing/Mark Robinson)
“I simply need the belts. It is not like a private vendetta in the direction of considered one of these fighters – it is simply if I am not preventing for unification fights then I am solely sustaining what I’ve, and that is not what we need to do.
“We do not need to preserve – we need to progress and transfer forwards.”
Transferring forwards might imply taking up a few of boxing’s largest names within the close to future, with undisputed mild heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Bivol each making noises that they may transfer as much as the 90.6kg weight class sooner or later.
Then there may be former two-weight undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, who prompt he too would possibly come again all the way down to the division within the close to future.
“I feel perhaps after the rematch [against Tyson Fury], I’m going to go down in weight to cruiserweight,” unified heavyweight champion Usyk informed the three Knockdown Rule podcast.
“I would like extra cruiserweight [fights].
“Perhaps I will be undisputed for a second time within the cruiserweight division. It is my plan.
“After I begin to put together for my coaching camp [for heavyweight fights], I’ve to eat on a regular basis. For me it is exhausting. I do not prefer it.”
Usyk, who grew to become undisputed at cruiserweight in 2018, beating Russian Murat Gassiev in Moscow, earlier than transferring as much as heavyweight and turning into undisputed there by beating Fury in Could 2024.
The Ukranian (22-0) has since vacated the IBF belt after he opted to take a rematch with Fury in December, selling Daniel Dubois into that place.
German fighter Noel Mikaelian (27-2) holds the opposite WBC cruiserweight belt however is because of face his obligatory, Canadian Ryan Rozicki (20-1), ought to he beat quantity two-ranked Argentine Yamil Alberto Peralta (17-1) in early December.
