New Oscar De La Hoya star Gilberto Ramirez is closing in on the chance to go just eight wins behind Floyd Mayweather’s magical 50-0 benchmark.
The undefeated former World Boxing Organization Super Middleweight Champion, nicknamed “Zurdo,” will make his debut as a Golden Boy’s stable member.
Ramirez goes for his 42nd professional victory on July 9th against world light heavyweight title challenger Sullivan Barrera.
It will be the first step on a ladder that both Oscar De La Hoya and Ramirez hope will end with a second-weight world title victory and the taking of Floyd Mayweather‘s record.
The Banc of California Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Football Club (pro soccer) located in downtown Los Angeles, will host the event.
Ready to rumble, Ramirez is looking forward to his return to action.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA SIGNING
“I’m very excited to make my debut with Golden Boy,” Ramirez said. “LA’s the home to many Latinos, and I can’t wait to share the moment with my people.
“Every fight is the most important fight of my career. Obviously, the goal is to dominate the division and become the world champ [again].
“I do believe this match-up versus Barrera is a step in the right direction.
“Barrera is a tough Cuban veteran with a world-class experience. He’s fought the best in the past and shown why he’s been in many title fights against them.
“He even had a one-sided victory over the current WBO champion, Joe Smith, Jr.”
There will also be World title implications for the winner of the 12-round Zurdo vs. Barrera main event.
Ramirez is ranked No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBA) and WBO and No. 5 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), which rates Barrera at No. 7 in the world.
The 29-year-old was the first Mexican fighter to capture a World super middleweight title, which he relinquished to move up to the light heavyweight division.
He is 2-0 (2 KOs) as a 175-pounder, defeating Tommy Karpency (29-6-1) on April 12, 2019, when Karpency could not continue fighting after four rounds. Ramirez recorded a 10th round stoppage of Alphonso Lopez (32-3) last December.
With the win, he captured the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) crown.
BARRERA
At 39, Barrera is a decorated Cuban amateur boxer with a 285-27 C.V. in the unpaid code. He was the middleweight gold medalist at the 2000 AIBA Junior World Championships.
Barrera, who defected to the United States in 2009 and settled in Miami, beat future pro world champions such as Chad Dawson, Beibut Shumenov, and Mariano Natalio Carrera.
During the course of his 12-year pro career, Barrera is 3-3 vs. past or present world champions. He defeated Jeff Lacy (WTKO4), Karo Murat (WKO12), and Felix Valera (WDEC10).
He lost only to current WBA Super and IBF World light heavyweight champions, respectively, Dmitry Bivol (TKO12) and Joe Smith Jr. (DEC10), in addition to Hall of Famer Andre Ward (DEC 12).
Jesse Hart is the only common opponent; Ramirez won a pair of World super middleweight title fights against Hart. However, Sullivan lost a 10-round light heavyweight decision to the Philadelphia boxer.
Tickets are priced at $150, $100, $75, $50, and $35, excluding applicable service charges, and available to purchase at www.bancocaliforniastadium and www.ticketmaster.com.
Zurdo vs. Barrera, presented by Golden Boy Promotions, will be streamed exclusively on DAZN.
