This past Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Gilberto Ramirez secured a lopsided ten round unanimous decision over Joe Smith in a battle of former world champions.

Both boxers were taking part in their first outing in the cruiserweight division - although there was a catch-weight of 190-pounds.

Despite it being a ten round fight, the WBA sanctioned the contest as a world title eliminator.

Smith was returning to the ring following a rough 16-month period of personal heartaches including the murder of his younger brother Alex this past May.

He also suffered a two-round knockout loss in his last ring appearance, in June of 2022, when he collided with Artur Beterbiev in their light heavyweight unification.

Star Boxing president Joe DeGuardia, who promotes Smith, was not happy with the scorecards.

All three judges had it 99-91 in favor Ramirez - a near shutout on the cards.

“We’re very proud of Joe’s performance last night, he continues to show that he is a top level, must see fighter even now at cruiserweight. As for the judges, 99-91 is extremely disappointing and while ‘Zurdo’ may have pulled out the fight, this is no way warrants that scoring, nor does it reflect what everyone watching the fight witnessed. It is also troubling that if the fight had been a 12-rounder and Joe had won the last two rounds he still wouldn’t have gotten the decision, which amplifies why such scoring is concerning," DeGuardia said.

“However, our focus is on the thrilling action that Joe provides in the ring – he’s back and I expect him to be even stronger in the near future and we will be seeking a rematch of this very exciting fight.”