03/08/2025
The doctor is in the house.
Former cruiserweight champion Yuniel Dorticós will step into the ring to face Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramírez for the WBA and WBO Cruiserweight Championships. According to Ramírez’s team, the Mexican will make his mandatory defense against the "KO Doctor" before facing IBF champion Jai Opetaia, who defeated top contender David Nyka on January 8. The bout is reportedly set to take place on June 28 at a yet-to-be-determined location, live on DAZN.
"We are already working on finalizing the deal for Dorticós to fight Zurdo Ramírez," said Dorticós’s promoter Luis De Cubas Sr. of Warriors Boxing. "We waited for Zurdo to face Chris Billam-Smith for a good purse, and now we want to close negotiations."
Indeed, the Cuban boxer’s camp allowed Ramírez to fight Billam-Smith in Saudi Arabia in exchange for step-aside money and a guaranteed mandatory fight against the winner of that bout.
Now that the Mexican has become a unified champion after defeating the Englishman on the “Riyadh Season: Latino Night” card, the time has come for Dorticós to cash in on his opportunity.
Dorticós, who is aiming to win a world title for the third time, is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Alan Campa in June. This was Dorticós's (27-2, 24 KOs) first fight since signing a new promotional deal with The Heavyweight Factory and Warriors Boxing—companies that have delivered on their promise to put him back on the path to a title shot in a cruiserweight division.
Without a doubt, Dorticós’ career in recent years has been marked by inactivity, and many feared that at 38 years old, it might be too late for him to begin a serious effort to reclaim his world titles. Not team Dorticós.
"Dorticós is in a great position right now," added De Cubas. "He is the number one contender for the world title, and Zurdo must face him. Dorticós is a pure puncher, a fighter who can end the fight with a single shot. Zurdo fought against Sullivan Barrera and Yunieski González, who put up respectable performances, but they are smaller men compared to Dorticós. He knows what’s at stake. If he beats Zurdo, million-dollar fights will follow."
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