44 wins in a row and the difference in size: why Bivol will be more difficult in a fight with Ramirez than with Alvarez

Over the past six months, Dmitry Bivol's career has undergone dramatic changes.

From not the most popular world champion, he turned into a boxing star and one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet - all thanks to the victory over Saul Alvarez.

And although the Mexican is considered not only one of the most famous, but also skilled fighters on the planet, it is this weekend that the Russian will have to pass a much more difficult test.

At the Etihad Arena, he will face the undefeated Gilberto Ramirez.

Of course, for inexperienced fans, Alvarez and Ramirez may seem like athletes of different calibers.

Canelo is not only one of the most popular boxers of our time, but also a champion in four weight divisions, who prevailed over such eminent contenders as Gennady Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, Sergey Kovalev and Miguel Cotto.

Against his background, the achievements of Zurdo look more than modest.

By this time, although he had won all 44 fights, he spent most of them at home, and won the trophy only in the second middleweight division.

And there are not so many truly stellar opponents in his track record.

Against the general background, only Arthur Abraham, who was at the final stage of his career, and Sullivan Barrera, who at one time fought on equal terms with the same Bivol and Andre Ward, stand out.

However, this should not give reasons to underestimate the Mexican.

Ramirez, 31, is in great shape and is extremely dangerous for any light heavyweight.

And the reason for this is not only in his skills, but also in size.

In height and arm length, the Mexican is superior to most representatives of the category, therefore, in a fight he will have an important trump card.

Both the Klitschko brothers and Bivol himself in a duel with Alvarez clearly demonstrated how big a role these factors play.

Now Dmitry finds himself in a situation where he will be noticeably inferior to the enemy in anthropometry.

Yes, Bivol has already fought lanky fighters before.

In December last year, he quite easily dealt with Umar Salamov, who is larger than even Ramirez himself.

In this aspect, the same Barrera and Lenin Castillo were not much inferior to the Mexican.

But at this moment, do not forget about the level of Zurdo.

He controls the distance very well and hits hard, especially on the body.

And this was noted even by his compatriot David Benavidez, according to whom Gilberto has excellent chances of winning.

Previously, Benavidez already had experience sparring with Bivol.

And according to him, the light heavyweight champion is extremely susceptible to blows to the body.

Surely, many expected that Alvarez would try to take advantage of this, but then the Russian managed to competently defend himself from the opponent’s attacks and was constantly at an uncomfortable distance for him.

It will be much more difficult to do this with Ramirez.

Long levers allow him to attack from a greater distance and eliminate the need to constantly get close.

At the same time, Zurdo can not only competently “change floors” and thereby create opportunities for himself to attack on the head.

He clearly showed his ability to knock out opponents with body blows in a recent fight with Dominik Bözel, which did not last even four rounds.

At a certain moment, the Mexican drove his opponent into a corner and began to beat, and it was the hit on the spleen that became decisive.

And this episode clearly demonstrates a couple more of Ramirez's strengths.

Not only is he great at pinning an opponent in tight spaces, but he doesn't rely on a single punch, which qualitatively sets him apart from many of Bivol's former opponents.

Gilberto throws a lot and maintains a high pace throughout the fight.

Suffice it to recall his uncompromising felling with Yunieschi Gonzalez, when he literally crushed the Cuban with his constant pressure.

And it is extremely curious to see how Bivol will show himself in such conditions.

Undoubtedly, a set of qualities makes him the most inconvenient counterpart for any light heavyweight.

Phenomenal footwork and speed, great defense and a sense of distance - all this helped him not lose in any of the 20 fights and break into the top of the Pound-for-Pound rating.

And these qualities will certainly allow him to impose his pace on Ramirez and avoid fierce exchanges with him both in the center of the ring and at the ropes.

Gilberto himself admitted that he did not see Dmitry's weaknesses.

And in a way, he's actually right.

These include perhaps the lack of knockout power, but the style of the Russian allows him to succeed without it.

Bivol is unlikely to betray himself and decide to act as an aggressor in the battle with Ramirez.

Rather, he will circle around the ring in his traditional style, “score points”, make the opponent make mistakes and thus look awkward against his background.

On the move, Dmitri is superior to Gilberto and is unlikely to allow him to press himself against the ropes too often.

Of course, if the Mexican fails to take the advice of Benavidez and slow down the Russian with a couple of accurate hooks to the body.

And he will have much more chances to accomplish this if Bivol approaches this confrontation insufficiently collected.

In May, he shocked part of the boxing world and gained star status, but it is still difficult to say how all this affected him.

In a duel with Alvarez, he was considered an underdog, and some colleagues even predicted a crushing defeat for him.

Now Dmitry is called the clear favorite by the bookmakers, promoter Eddie Hearn, who manages the affairs of both rivals, also gives him preference.

Although the champion himself assures that there is not even a hint of underestimation.

“When people tell me that I have achieved everything, it looks like they are trying to put out my fire.

Because I still think about my dream to realize my full potential.

I am always hungry and angry to win and focused on my own training and opponents.

I think this Saturday is the hardest fight of my career.

It makes me be more focused, ” Bivola quotes the “Championship”.

No less intriguing is the future of the Russian in the event of a successful duel with Ramirez.

Just a few months ago, their rematch with Alvarez seemed to be a done deal, and after the triumph of Canelo in the trilogy with Golovkin, one could get the impression that there were no other options at all.

But Dmitry suddenly announced his lack of desire to meet with Saul again.

And this is a little surprising, because this battle will not only raise the level of his media, but will certainly bring him a huge fee.

But if Bivol is to be believed, he is now more focused on his quest for the undisputed light heavyweight title, which involves a fight with Artur Beterbiev.

And now it seems that both sides are finally ripe for this fight.

If earlier the head of Top Rank and part-time promoter of Beterbiev Bob Arum spoke openly about his unwillingness to set up his client with a less popular opponent, now his rhetoric has changed.

In a recent conversation with Boxing News 24, he himself hinted at a willingness to arrange a unification bout.

And given the current position of Bivol, this is understandable.

And although Ramirez and Beterbiev are very different boxers, ahead of a potential fight with a compatriot, this fight will give Bivol a much more rewarding experience than a rematch with Alvarez.

The only question is whether Canelo himself will agree with this.

As far as we know, there was a return battle clause in his contract, which his team can still activate.