Yunieski González wants to knock out Zurdo Ramírez

December 17, 2021

Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramírez (42-0, 28 KO) was a super middleweight champion, but when the division became too small for him, he didn't hesitate to move up to light heavyweight. With an undefeated record, the Mexican aims to surpass Floyd Mayweather's record (50-0), which is why he measures every step carefully. Moving up in higher weight classes is a challenge and cannot be done lightly. A wrong move can cause an unexpected stumble. He knows this, and that's why he's been taking it step by step. Furthermore, in 2021 he joined Golden Boy, and Óscar de la Hoya knows how to manage careers. Despite this, they must take risks, and this Saturday, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, the first one arrives.

The Mexican will face Yunieski González (21-3, 17 KO) in a WBA light heavyweight eliminator. The winner will challenge Bivol. It's the name the 'Zurdo' wants, but first he'll have a rejuvenated veteran. González, 36 years old, is living a second youth. He was inactive from April 2017 until October 2020. "I spent more than two years dedicating myself to anything other than what I know how to do, boxing. When I was able to resolve the contractual problems I had, I returned to the gym with the intention of having great opportunities," Yunieski admits on the 'KO a la Carrera' podcast.

The Cuban now "enjoys boxing more." "I don't have the pressure I had to defend my undefeated record (he has lost to Jan Pascal, Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, and Oleksandr Gvozdyk). I've imagined myself raising my arm and hearing people say that I've achieved what seemed impossible," he points out. González speaks with words, but also with deeds. In September, they gave him a week's notice to fight at cruiserweight. He arrived as the undercard, but knocked out his opponent in two rounds and vindicated himself. That victory has earned him a spot against Zurdo this Saturday. "I'm always training and prepared. They gave me notice and even though it wasn't my division, I knew I could do it. Now I have in my mind to knock out Ramírez," he concludes confidently.