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Gilberto Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs) is set to challenge undefeated WBA cruiserweight titleholder Arsen Goulamirian (21-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, and the former super middleweight titleholder predicts “a war.”
“He is the champ for a reason,” Ramirez said of Goulamirian. “Arsen is the warrior with Thor-like strength who can also box. He’s going to be a huge challenge, which is why I wanted this fight. I’ve been working on my skills and my strength to overcome Arsen.”
The bout, scheduled for 12 rounds, will headline a card promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, in association with Y12 Boxing, and stream live on DAZN.
“It’s going to be a war,” Ramirez said. “I know he likes to fight on the inside, and that’s my specialty as well. I believe the combination of my strength and power will allow me to be victorious.”
Ramirez, 32, was the first Mexican-born boxer to capture a super middleweight world title, and now “Zurdo” plans to duplicate that feat as a cruiserweight against Goulamirian, the Armenian-born titlist who lives in France and trains in Big Bear, California.
Saturday’s fight will be Ramirez’s second at cruiserweight after moving up from the light heavyweight division and having campaigned at 168 pounds for his first 10 years as a professional.
“I feel comfortable at this weight,” Ramirez said. “Naturally, as I got older, it was tougher to make weight and now everything seems to be easier. Like I always say, there’s no better teacher than experience in this life. I’m not training differently as a cruiserweight. I’m always working on the basics of boxing. Going into a higher division, one of the main things is that I’m able to lift heavy and not worry about gaining muscle mass.”