Undefeated Mexican knockout artist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, will headline on Friday, June 26, at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, TX. Ramirez will be taking on Derek “The Black Lion” Edwards in a 10- round super middleweight bout which will be televised live on truTV at 10:00 pm.
“My opponent Derek Edwards is a dangerous fighter with good skills and lot of experience,” said Ramirez. “I will be ready for the best of him. I expect a war. We have been having a great training camp and I will give the fans the fight they want to see. I’m really motivated to be in the ring in June 26. I’m very happy for this opportunity that Top Rank is giving me, to appear on its new truTv boxing series. This is the third time that I am fighting in Texas. It feels like home to me because the fans always treat me very well. I really like the people from Texas because there are big boxing fans.”
“Gilberto Ramirez is one of the top 168-pounders in the world, but June 26 he’ll have to prove it,” said Carl Moretti, vice president of Top Rank. “Derek Edwards with his KO win over current world champion Badou Jack is the test that Gilberto needs to pass in order to gain his world title opportunity. Not an easy task”
Ramirez (31-0, 24 KOs), a two-fisted super middleweight wrecking machine who hails from Mazatlan, Mexico, is world-rated number 2 by the WBC & WBO, and number 3 by the IBF and WBA.
Ramirez, 23, has won four of his last five bouts by knockout. Last year featured career-best performances which included a victory over Giovanni Lorenzo via fifth-round stoppage, a knockout victory over Junior Talipeau and a win over Fulgencio Zuniga in the eighth round. He returns to the ring fresh from a 10-round unanimous decision victory over once-beaten Maxim Vlasov on January 24.
Ramirez here faces division gatekeeper Edwards (27-4-1, 14 KOs), of Las Vegas, NV. Last year Edwards scored a first-round knockout of previously undefeated Badou Jack, who recently won the WBC super middleweight world title. He finished the year losing a 12-round decision to once-beaten one-time world title challenger Andre Dirrell.
