Dimitri Bevol has taken over Gilberto “Zordo” Ramirez to cement his status as a high-profile fighter and his place near the top of the pound-for-pound list.
This fight was supposed to push WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitri Bevol (21-0) to the limit, but Gilberto “Zordo” Ramirez (44-1) just couldn’t get the job done. It wasn’t that he couldn’t but more than that Bevol didn’t allow Ramirez to impose his size advantage against him last Saturday on DAZN.
Bivol used every bit of his awesome moves and distances to neutralize Ramirez throughout the fight. There were moments when Ramirez got there and raised Bevol, but those were few and far between. It was Bivol’s distance control that really proved to be the difference in this fight. You can tell that facing the mighty Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez back in May raised the bar for the Bivol match because of what it took to beat the mighty Mexican warrior. There were moments late in the fight when Ramirez was reluctant to close the distance because it meant he would be vulnerable to Bivol’s quick combinations. The times he got there late, he was upset, and even after his corner was asking Ramirez to do his best, he couldn’t do it.
Bivol’s style isn’t for everyone, as it won’t blow CompuBox numbers, but it’s something to appreciate because he’s a master boxer. Even though he’s a reserved character most of the time, he seems to be trying to break out of his shell a little bit. He is more vocal when interviewed and offers innocent humor for everyone to understand. His strength and conditioning, his coach, Taylor Ramsdale, whom I spoke to before the fight, shed some of this into the light. He expressed confidence in Bevol by defeating Ramirez and peeking behind the curtain at who Bevol as a person is. This will undoubtedly be key to his development as a superstar in the sport if he can continue to build on these small increases in personality.
Dimitri Bevol proves once again that he is one of the best fighters in the sport by controlling Gilberto Ramirez
The question now is where does it go from here? Although the DAZN staff keep touting the idea of giving him Canelo Alvarez a rematch, that’s not exactly what he wants to do next. You can hear him in his voice that he wants to tell people instead of telling him what to do. What Bevol wants to do is be the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion. To do this, he will have to face the current unified champion Artur Petterbiev (18-0), who holds the other three titles. The only problem with that is that Anthony Yard (22-2) is currently scheduled for January, which will take place in London, UK if Beterbiev retains the title and a fight with Bivol can be put together, bar any policy network, it will certainly be one of the most anticipated fights in 2023.
If Bevol wants another fight before the potential unchallenged fight, the name to look for is Joshua Poatsey (16-0), who is run by former Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua. He’s second with the WBA and last fought at DAZN in May, taking a unanimous decision to win Craig Richards (17-3-1). This is a decent fight, but I can see Bevol winning it without any real issue, as there are levels for this boxing. I can see that the battle takes place in the spring, leading up to Beterbiev’s Battle for the Autumn.
One thing is for sure, arguably Bevol’s dominant victory has secured him the title of Fighter of the Year when the Boxing Writers Association of America meets early next year. It would also climb his name to the top three in many pound-for-pound lists. Bivol has reached his peak, and fans should make an effort to watch him perform as he slowly transforms into the next boxing superstar.
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