November 5, 2022
Boxing Results

Bivol dominates Zurdo, retains WBA LH title

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) retained his title with a wide twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. After four cautious rounds, Bivol started to take over in round five. Zurdo didn’t have an answer for Bivol’s counterpunching and he seemed hesitant to throw anything hard. Bivol won rounds with sharp combinations that had Zurdo’s head swiveling. Zurdo upped the pressure late and Bivol made him pay for it. Scores were 118-110. 117-111, 117-111.

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Photo: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
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    • Lol so funny I told everyone for months zurdo was gonna get exposed with 40-0 bum record and all the mexicans downthumbed my comments. You little putas got f*cked up.cuba #1 Mexico #2 never forget that.

      • I love the Cuban people. I know you do not represent them. No doubt you never had a fight in your life.

        • Fronting on the keyboard proves nothing to anyone. The entire country is plagued with the BS that is the race card. Keep that sh*t outta here. There are plenty of social media apps to relieve yourselves on.

          We get together to discuss boxing as fans and bust chops. It rarely gets racial with the exception of the same usual suspects.

      • Didn’t Gamboa get destroyed by Isaac Cruz and slapped around the ring by Robinson Castellanos? Both who are Mexicans. If “L” ignorant statement was true this wouldn’t of happened. Marquez would not of outboxed Joel Casamayor either, but he did. Both cultures have produced great fighters. Stop trolling

    • Bivol is a beautiful tactician, maybe the best in boxing. Bietrbiev is Frankenstein scary. I for one would rather see that fight than Spence-Crawford. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see that one too but we all know it’s a dead deal. Make B vs B happen! If promoted correctly it’s a super fight and there will be plenty of money to be made. Who cares about Anthony Yarde? Give me a break.

  • Incredibly easy fight for Bivol. Amazing how Bivol gets stronger and better as the rounds go by. Zurdo may be a Mexican but he clearly showed he is NOT a Mexican fighter.
    Congrats to Bivol for the win.

    • Dude he’s VERY Mexican fighter and he got beat up by a skilled fighter. Race/Nationality doesn’t give anyone an edge. Mexicans have gotten their asses whip and quit. Remember when Moralez quit against Pacquiao. Is he NOT a Mexican fighter even though he went to war with Barrera?

      • Remember when Morales kicked Manny P’s as in first fight? No I don’t think you remember but Manny does and so does Marquez!!

      • Mexicans suck, they use part time taxi drivers to build up their records to 40-0 + to get clout and ticket sales. Cubans & Puerto Ricans are much better fighters with actual legit records. 44-1 hypejob Zurdo bites the dust and Jamie Munguía 40-0 chavala is next !

      • My bro…..you are talking out of your ass. Respect to both fighters..really sure you can’t even last 2 minutes sparring!

        • L’s just being a joto. He knows some of the best fighters ever are from Mexico. Cuba is also known for having the many of the greatest athletes, so L should feel proud but not act like a jackass.
          Bivol is one of the best fighter pound for pound. I even think he will make Beterviev look less effective than he usually is, just like how he made Zurdo look a step or two slower. There is no shame in losing to one of the best fighter currently fighting. In a hindsight, maybe Zurdo could have been more successful if he tried for a KO from the get go, instead of trying to out box Bivol. Maybe Bivol had something to do with Zurdo looking flat.

      • A very intellectually lazy answer, predisposed to call anybody “ignorant” or worse , because you’re too weak to think or say what’s in front of your eyes!

        Don’t attack me, attack my arguments. You can’t because everything I mentioned is fact based TRUTH!

    • What do you mean hes clearly not a mexican fighter. He lost to a better fighter. Nothing wrong with that. Smh casuals say dumb sht.

    • Not sure if Zurdo had any chances to beat Bivol. He looked a lot slower than Bivol and didn’t seem like there was snap behind his punches, as if he was just pushing them out. If you compare their hand speeds, I think Bivol’s punches stung a lot worse than it appeared. Zurdo just looked flat against one of the best technicians in boxing pound for pound. No shame really losing to an elite fighter like Bivol, though. We just expected Zurdo to do a lot more. Maybe he should go up to Cruiser weight. He was huge compared to Bivol, who looked like a welterweight against Zurdo.

    • We all new that he was all hype. You can’t fight 44 times and face nobody of note without being all hype

      • Yeah, I see your point but styles make fights. Ramirez was like a robot in the ring. Question why a great fighter can’t knock out a walking punching bag. Bivol is King until he meets someone that can crack!!

        • Bivol is like Mayweather. He just makes any fighter look less effective than they actually are. He never really goes for KO because he is a boxer first and a puncher second. But his punches hurt, and you can see from the Zurdo’s reactions and his face at the end of the fight. Bivol is really tough to beat. I see him beating Beterviev in a similar way.

    • Ramirez should have gone for a KO, instead of trying to out box Bivol. Zurdo looked like a heavyweight vs Bivol, who looked like a welterweight.

  • Next year will be his biggest challenge in the beast artur beterbiev….that will be one to watch!

      • I completely agree. When two elite fighters meet, the ones with better boxing skills usually triumph over the heavy handed fighters. I see it going similarly, though more competitive, as the Zurdo fight. It will start close, but as each round goes by Bivol’s pace will make Beterviev work harder and faster than he’s comfortable with.

    • Yes ! there is somebody . Bivol,I agree,is the best : no problems at all !! But, as good as he is he haven’t fought with the human hearse: Artur Beterbiev.If we wait,we might see . Have a good evening.

      • No Beterbiev isnt going to beat Bivol sorry to say ,I’m Canadian but Artur will fall.

    • I think he was a bit punch drunk. I heard Bivol hits hard. Just ask Canelo. He may not look like he hits hard, but everyone he fights there is a big gap in speed of their punches. I’m not even sure how two judges gave Zurdo three rounds, It looked like a shut out with Zurdo fighting in a slow motion with no pop in his punches. Why did Zurdo decided to box with Bivol is anyone’s guess. He should have tried for a home-run punch every time he threw a punch.

      • Zurdo was doing the only thing he could do survive ,Bivol controlled everything the outside the inside he bullied Zurdo and backed him up almost the whole time ,Zurdo didnt win one round period.

  • Very easy fight to predict based on the style of fighters. Zurdo, I feel, made the mistake of trying to box with a slick boxer only to be burdened by the inability to get the lunch pail out and rack up points. Zurdo would have had a better chance getting more physical with Bivol to get something started in his favor. Bivol has very solid skills in terms of the jab, defense, and right-hand counter. Canelo would make a mistake rematching Bivol at this stage in the game.

    • Easy fight to predict indeed. I think if Canelo gets froggy and goes for the rematch, he gets stopped this time around. TKO 10th/corner stoppage, followed by an immediate retirement.

      • I don’t think Canelo will seek a rematch. Even if he wanted to, I don’t think his team will allow him to get beaten again. I think even Canelo thought Zurdo had a decent chance of beating Bivol, but after what actually happened, the rematch is really highly unlikely. Maybe Canelo will go on a diet and might ask for a fight @ 160.

  • Bivol is very smart and skilled, he controls the ring and dictate’s the pace. He can counter punch or lead. Definitely hoping he fights Beterbiev, don’t see Canelo being able to do anything differently that could help him beat Bivol.

  • Looks like fights were fixed. My opinion. Starting with the fight from the local champion who did loose closely according to.score cards but know one knows who he is. Then main event Zurdo clearly pulling punches!!

    • C’mom, Tom. I thought Zurdo should have tried to go for the KO, instead of trying to out box Bivol, but the pace that Bivol set was faster and more tiresome than Zurdo was comfortable with. He obviously tried his best within his capabilities. If Zurdo tried harder to finish Bivol, he may have gotten too tired to fight effectively bynthe middle rounds. Even when Zurdo wanted to pace himself, Bivol was on him not giving Zurdo any rest.

  • Bivol is on another level. His discipline, effectivity and control inside the ring is what breaks his opponents. He does what he wants and when he wants in there! A masterful boxer and truly underrated! Bivol’s combinations had some nostalgic moments of a Manny Pacquiao fight, imo.
    Had it 117-111 Bivol.

  • Bivol extremely impressive, great timing,,,throwing blistering combinations between Ramirez’s punches …Bivol’s footwork excellent …enough pop in punches to keep opponents honest…just a solid fighter..improves with every fight ..last fight dominated a great “little guy” in Canelo…this fight dominated a good “Big man” in Ramirez…though at times Ramirez showed flashes..not busy enough particularly with the jab…seemed hesitant to be that dominant force…interestingly when Ramirez was agressive…Ramirez did well could not sustain it…Beterbiev a different type beast….Bivol just has the edge over Beterbiev with that Pernall Whiatker like timing on the inside with quick combo…Bivol is turning into something special…fun to watch .

  • Genuine question, guys. With Bivol being Russian (the WBA has a history of not stripping people because of political issues, e.g., Apartheid South Africa), how will he fight Beterbiev (who is a Canadian citizen) for the undisputed title, as the WBC/WBO/IBF will not recognize Bivol?

    • Money talks BS walks, that’s how. These virtue signaling promoters are just agreeing with the current thing. I don’t believe for s split second that they would let a “political” disagreement get in the way of a potentially massive return on investment. This would be the biggest fight in years at light heavy, so I doubt we have to worry. The fight happens between August and November of 23.

  • I’m DEFINITELY sure Canelo doesn’t want none. He’s as good as dead in a rematch. Bivol is a bad dude.

    • Why you think he was hopin’ a Zurdo win?
      He said, if Zurdo won, he wouldn’t HAVE to fight Bivol, again. Now, he has to admit he doesn’t WANT to fight Bivol, again!

  • Oh well, it was expected! Benavidez now needs to take on any of this two or even on munguia instead of waiting on canelo! Canelo is way too small for them any of them! Canelo will get destroy if he goes after bivol again! Zurdo got a nice wake up call bat down! Now he knows what real competition is all about!

  • When I see Oscar not enter the ring after the fight to support his guy it’s been a good day. Anyone else notice Hearn wouldn’t sit by Oscar, LMAO

  • Bivol took the initiative from the start. He immediately showed who was the champion and who decided in the ring.

    Also thought Zurdo looked mentally weaker than I thought. He also didn’t respond to Bivol’s attacks aggressively enough. There was a little too little Mexican style in Zurdo.

    Anyway, a well executed fight by Bivol. The experience Bivol has gained in the last two fights might be invaluable for the rest of his career.

    Well done! Hats off and congratulations.

    • Ramirez appeared stunned by Bivol’s speed. I think he had a plan, but was struggling to get his punches before Bivol got home. I guess that happens when you’re accustomed to fighting C-level guys. Bivol has tremendous speed and movement, and it feels like fighters are surprised by it.

      • Yes, to be the best among the best, it is not enough to have talent and a good record.

        You need an excellent team and the best possible sparring except for fights against high quality opponents.

        If something is missing, even the best talent gets problems.

        • Agree….well stated….Ramirez was a live dog….just something missing to take Ramirez to the next level in this fight…though could see that Ramirez is almost there … something missing to place Ramirez on that level….hope Ramirez gets that needed ingredient cause his combinations are wicked…good take zockerbit

      • Forgot to answer how I watched the boxing match myself.

        Yes, I agree with your analysis. The speed was crucial but also something I was aware of before the fight but which I still thought Zurdo would respond to in a different way.

        Thought Zurdo would try make the fight more rough, dirty, more street-fight like, that he would get closer in more or less furious attacks, maybe some clinching, then move away, using his jab and straight left to keep the distance.

        With that I expepcted the fight to be hardet to predict. But Bivol made him not as good as I predicted. Nor did I see that mental power in Zurdos eyes. Bivol proved to be the champ for good reason.

    • Canelo once stated he will never fight Benavidez because he doesn’t want to fight fellow Mexicans. Well, Benavidez is only half-Mexican so the ethnic thing is just a poor excuse. Maybe now Canelo will say he won’t fight a rematch with Bivol because he’s half-Russian or some nonsense.

  • Wow! Bivol vs Beterbiev now, and we can talk about the legitimate light heavyweight King!

  • My goodness! Why can’t folks keep it on a boxing level and not race/ethnicity? Cmon folks! We can just say that Zurdo is not as good as GBP thinks he is! And that he’s a B level fighter, but to attack him as a Mexican is stupid and lacks intelligence.

    • Agree with you that attacking any race is ridiculous…in boxing though we often refer to styles with race… nationality inference..don’t see anything wrong with that…like there is a Cuban style…quick combos…movement …lots of punches….European style…stand up boxing…defensive…single shots..not a lot of combos….Mexican style…aggressive…in your face…straight at the opponent ..not a lot of defense….anything outside of styles ..is no place at all in sports…period

  • Good speed and defense from Bivol, also great stamina. An impressive win against a very good fighter

  • Casuals never seem to learn. Hype jobs are so evident these days that they should just have the word hype tattooed on their foreheads. It is so obvious to us aficionados. This fight went exactly as I knew it would. The only reason Ramirez went the distance is because he’s a weight cheater. He got beaten up tonight and now Bivol is known as the Mexican destroyer. Let’s make this unification fight now between these two dynamic Russians.

    • How come the people with the biggest mouths like you probably never been in a fight in you life? Bivol good but not great yet and I’m sure you do not represent him in any way!

      • Listen to the soy boy calling everybody out like you would actually say any of that to my face. I actually have been in a lot of fights, in fact professional boxing matches. I’m quite certain that I would knock you out cold in a fight.

        • I’m sure in your mind you could have beat Mike Tyson as well! Bring it on Doy Boy Chrissy!

  • Bivol is such a classy boxer with excellent defense. Wish he had more power but he has enough to keep guys honest. Beterbiev and Bivol will be a great match up for the hardcore fans

  • Ramirez needs an experienced trainer. How is youngster going to add any craft and intelligence into Ramirez game?

  • I thought Bivol won every round. He has amazing speed and skill and reflexes. His face looked unmarked.

    • Canelo is not a light heavyweight, so he has zero business in the ring with either Bivol or Beterbiev. When Sugar Ray Robinson moved up to light heavy to challenge Joey Maxim, it didn’t end too well for him, either.

      • That was when there were only eight divisions-moving up from 160 to 175 was much more difficult than the moving up of three pounds to another division today.

      • Actually, Sugar Ray was winning, and was exhausted by the heat. Go read about it!

    • Disagree…styles makes fights.Beterbiev not as defensive and crafty as Bivol..Beterbiev would give Canelo opportunities ….maybe be talior made for Canelo…and Canelo is a great finisher when his opponent is hurt…

  • Zurdo should have at least attempted to wrap Bivol up and see if he could maybe find some success wrestling and punching off of the break. I think he knew that Bivol was the stronger more powerful man.

      • How can you judge this fight allready?? Zurho throw some punches and punches will arrive tomorrow so lets judge this fight after that !
        T: Mexican hypejob

  • Forget canelo vs benavidez! Benavidez is a light heavyweight therefore, he should look after zurdo,bivol,bertevie just to name a few big dogs! The man right now with all the straps is bivol, so benavidez should take on that challenge instead of calling canelo for a fight that will never happen! Canelo wayyyy too small for any of this dudes and shoukd stay under 168!!!

  • The fight went exactly as I thought it would. Bivol’s boxing ability and educated left hand would take over completely by the 7th round and I’m glad he did. This was not hard to figure out. Straight punches beat wide punches since there is less road to travel.

    By mid 23, I can see a unification bout with Beterbiev. If that one ends early, it’s Beterbiev with the win. If it goes the distance, even though Bivol will be severely underpowered, I think his positioning and footwork will place him in spots that will be good enough to score 2 knockdowns, without really hurting Beterbiev, but still allowing those extra points to assist him in a close split decision win. I say split because I’m sure a rematch will be called for if this scenario plays out.

  • Like I said Bivol wins-great Boxing skills anticipation and movement-Bravo. good test

  • Good win for Bivol. What I like about him is that he’s a good fighter, a champion, who fights frequently without all the drama, delay, and hype so common among today’s champion fighters.

  • Bivol is ridiculously good. If he beats Berbetiev I’d say he’s up there with the likes of Spinks, Foster, Moore and Charles. He’s wonderfully well schooled and rately puts a foot wrong. While not the most exciting to watch – outside of one Joe Smith Jnr right hand – he hasn’t had to be as he’s head and shoulders above the rest at 2175lbob. The guy is a pure boxing machine who manages a fight over 12 rounds quite unlike anyone I’ve ever seen at 175lb. It’s a brave man who puts any serious money on him losing right now. I hope he doesn’t drop to any catch weight to fight Canelo again. Alvarez should take his licks and show up at light heavy if he is brave enough or stick to fighting men his own size.

    • Agree with your take on Bivol as a fighter ..you did mention some great lightweights..what separates those guys from Bivol…is the aforementioned fighters were great boxers and “vicious” punchers…Bivol not quite there…Good boxer though

  • Boxer of the year 2022!?

    Bivol has grown. I am very impressed.

    Also like most of the Russian boxers for their humble and professional approach to what they do.

    Bivol vs Beterbiev is the fight I want to see most of all right now.

    The only thing that can compete in my eyes are some fights in the lightweight division. Crawford vs Spencer Jr has developed into something I’m tired of.

    Beterbiev’s victory against Joe Smith Jr. was also a special one. Previously also very impressed with how he handled Gvozdyk. The victory over Browne should not be underestimated either.

    But Beterbiev did not look quite well after he got Corona. Maybe he needs another fight before Bivol?

    A year ago I would pick Beterbiev over Bivol but now it’s the other way around. What Bivol will bring from 2022 to the ring against Beterbiev might be decisive.

  • People, fighters come in all races before we are a color or a nationality, we are human created in the image of God. No one nationality is better than the other. Anyone who enters that ring is a warrior. Stop the hate and let’s celebrate life! Boxing is the ultimate sport.

  • Bivol boxed beautifully and backed up Zurdo all night long. Ramirez was hesitant to let his hands go because Bivol was quick to counter with combinations. Bivol was much quicker and had great defense and footwork. Ramirez was reduced to throwing tentative punches, which grew slower as the rounds progressed.

    I thought it would be a tough fight for Bivol but it turned out one-sided with the high volume punching of Zurdo shut down to a trickle. I’ve watched Bivol in a lot of fights, including the World Series of Boxing. He always finds a way to shut down his opponent and gain the upper hand. He actually gets stronger as the fights enter the later rounds. Great victory for Bivol.

  • The funniest thing, to me, was Zurdo’s corner (in between rounds 4-5, I think) telling him that Bivol couldn’t make adjustments! What the HELL did he have to adjust to???

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