WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez will make the fourth defense of his title against Roamer Alexis Angulo of Columbia at the Chesapeake Energy Arena – the home of the NBA’s OKC Thunder, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 30, 2018.
Zurdo Ramirez is the first boxer from Mexico to win a world title at super middleweight. He won the title with a 12-round unanimous decision win over the much-heralded Arthur Abraham in 2016. Since winning the belt, Ramirez has made three successful title defenses, including decision wins over former European middleweight champion Max Bursak and current USBA super middleweight champion Jesse Hart.
Ramirez is considered one of the best super middleweights in the world, but surprisingly, he did not take part in the ongoing World Boxing Super Series super middleweight tournament where the likes of WBA champion George Groves, Jurgen Braehmer, Chris Eubank Jr., and Callum Smith joined. Instead, Zurdo has asked his promoter, Bob Arum, to book a fight with the winner. That will have to wait, though, as he still has immediate business to take care of.
Roamer Alexis Angulo is a 34-year-old Columbian who is no stranger to fighting in different countries. Angulo has fought all over the world to move up in rank. He’s had fights in Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Germany, and Mexico, so he’s a grizzled veteran who isn’t shy in new venues. This will be his fourth fight in the United States and his first in Oklahoma City. The challenger has a record of 23-0 with 20 knockouts.
In his most recent bout, the 6’1” Angulo knocked out Evert Bravo in one round to retain his WBO Latino Super Middleweight title. He won that belt with a 2nd-round TKO of Rolando Mansilla in May 2017. The knock on him is that he hasn’t fought the kind of opposition that Ramirez has defeated. This will be Angulo’s first crack at a world title, and he is taking on a potential superstar in Zurdo Ramirez.
The 27-year-old Ramirez is a southpaw who stands 6’2” and has a reach of 75 inches. He is unbeaten in 37 fights, with 25 knockouts to his credit. He is an excellent body puncher who also has a very powerful left hand which can produce knockouts. However, Ramirez has only recorded one stoppage in his last seven fights.
Zurdo sets the distance very well and can box for a full 12 rounds because he has excellent boxing skills and a very high fight IQ. He is also comfortable fighting on the inside with his short hooks and nasty uppercuts. Ramirez can be aggressive and relentless when he wants the KO, but he also has the tendency to just coast to an easy win by fighting from the outside. Regardless of which one shows up, Ramirez is going to be a handful for Angulo.
Roamer Alexis Angulo has a solid defensive stance and possesses good defensive instincts. On offense, he controls the ring quite well and has very good punching power in both hands. His best weapon is his massive right hand, but he can unload a quick left straight that can sting opponents.
There is only limited footage of Angulo’s bouts, as he’s fought mostly outside the United States, and his three fights on US soil weren’t on big fight cards. But based on what we can see, he is no joke and is, in fact, a solid boxer. The only question is how he will fare when he steps up in competition level. Without a doubt, Zurdo is his toughest opponent to date.
This may not be as bad a mismatch as what some people think. Agulo is the WBO’s 10th-ranked 168-pound fighter, but it’s worth mentioning that Ramirez already owns a victory over the WBO’s #1-ranked super middleweight in Jesse Hart. Likewise, #2 Callum Smith is set to fight George Groves, while 3rd-ranked Rocky Fielding has a date with Caleb Plant, and #4 Jurgen Braehmer can’t travel from Germany. So while Angulo is a kind of uninspiring opponent for Zurdo, he isn’t the worst.
But that doesn’t mean that Zurdo won’t have an easy time with him. Despite all the criticisms, Ramirez is probably the best pure boxer in the division. He is a star in the making, and we definitely haven’t seen the best of him yet. Aside from a handful of footage from his fights, it’s hard to judge how good (or not) Angulo is because of the lack of names in his fight resume. So you’ve got to go with the sure thing here.
Angulo has the punching power to catch Ramirez’s attention and even hurt him. But Ramirez may be too good a boxer to be caught with a knockout punch. Zurdo has the choice to dance around Angulo and put on a twelve-round boxing clinic. Or he could choose to go to war and get a big KO that is going to attract the other 168-pound champions for a unification fight.
Angulo isn’t the kind of opponent that bolsters Zurdo’s resume. But it’s a good prelude to a unification with George Groves or the other super middleweight world champions. Ramirez should win this fight without much difficulty. We’re picking Gilberto Ramirez to beat Roamer Alexis Angulo by a wide unanimous decision.
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