How does one encore the best win of their career?

How does one encore the best win of 2022?

Light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol is about to answer those two questions.

In May, Bivol meticulously outboxed super middleweight champion Saul Alvarez, handing the superstar his first loss since 2013. It was a close fight on the official cards. It wasn’t that close in the ring. Bivol used his length, jab, and smart right hands to stifle and visibly fluster Alvarez. For Bivol, it was the big fight that had eluded him and he delivered. 

Saturday in Abu Dhabi (DAZN, 1:30 PM EST), Bivol isn’t facing Alvarez. 

Bivol was the naturally bigger man in May, with a height advantage of several inches. In this fight, Bivol is looking up. Former super middleweight titlist Gilberto Ramirez is taller than Bivol, longer than Bivol, and he likely holds the edge in punching power. 

Will it be enough for Ramirez to add a title in his second weight class? 

Let’s get into it. 

Stats and Stakes

Dmitry Bivol

Age: 31

Titles: WBA Light Heavyweight (2017-Present, 9 Defenses)* 

Previous Titles: None

Height: 6’0 

Weight: 174 ¾ lbs.

Stance: Orthodox 

Hails from: Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan 

Record: 20-0, 11 KO

Press Rankings: #1 (TBRB, Ring, BoxRec), #2 (ESPN)

Record in Major Title Fights: 9-0, 3 KO (12-0, 4 KO including interim title fights)

Last Five Opponents: 143-7-4 (.942)

Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Sullivan Barrera TKO12; Joe Smith Jr. UD12; Saul Alvarez UD12

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Jean Pascal UD12

* Bivol also had two additional defenses of an interim title he won in 2016 

Vs.

Gilberto Ramirez 

Age: 31

Title: None

Previous Titles: WBO Super Middleweight (2016-19, 5 Defenses)

Height: 6’2 ½   

Weight: 174 ½ lbs.

Stance: Southpaw

Hails from: Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Record: 44-0, 30 KO

Press Rankings: #3 (TBRB, Ring, ESPN, BoxRec)

Record in Major Title Fights: 6-0, 1 KO

Last Five Opponents: 136-17-1 (.886)

Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Arthur Abraham UD12; Jessie Hart UD12, MD12

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None

The Pick: Ramirez has continued to win but in some ways he is where Bivol was before the Alvarez fight: a quality battler stuck in a bit of limbo. This is his chance to break out and make a statement and Ramirez might never get a better one. For all his physical advantages, Bivol appears to be the quicker man and that could matter in a fight that could be a chess match. Both men work behind the jab, try to be defensively responsible, and look for good countering opportunities. 

That could mean that whoever gets the stick going first, and best, wins. Ramirez’s greater length could make up for any deficit in speed. The southpaw also has a more fluid offense, able to work in uppercuts and hooks off the jab without great effort. Bivol is going to have chances to catch Ramirez down the middle with right hands. While Bivol hasn’t been a big knockout finisher, he hits hard enough to keep people honest and Bivol gets off quick combinations that can catch the eye. Ramirez defends right hands well behind the guard so if he can then return fire and start backing Bivol up, there is a big road to victory.

This is another of a few recent fights that is genuinely tough to pick. Bivol coming off Alvarez makes him the easy pick but he might not be the right one. Ramirez is a skilled, smart boxer who also lands a nasty liver shot. The lean here is toward the upset with Ramirez landing the more telling blows and being the more physical man over the course of the fight. The pick is Ramirez by decision.    

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Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com