By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten WBO Super Middleweight Champion Gilberto Ramirez of Mexico will be defending his title for the fourth time this Saturday, June 30th when he takes on undefeated Roamer Alexis Angulo of Colombia in Oklahoma City. The 12-round bout can be seen live in the U.S. On ESPN and ESPN Deportes while fans in the UK can catch it on BoxNation. Ramirez last fought in February when he stopped Habib Ahmed in the sixth round. Angulo’s last outing came in February as well when he stopped Evert Bravo in the first round. Ramirez, who is a southpaw, beat Arthur Abraham by unanimous decision in April of 2016 to win the title then defended it against Max Bursak Jesse Hart and Ahmed.
The 27-year-old Ramirez became the first Mexican to capture a world super middleweight title when he beat Abraham in 2016 and he’ll enter the ring with a perfect record of 37-0 along with 25 Kos. He’s pretty tall for the 168 lb division as he stands close to 6-feet-3-inches and has a reach of 75 inches. He turned pro back in 2009 and has fought 199 rounds since then. Ramirez possesses pretty good power in his fists and owns a knockout ratio of 68 per cent. He’s is a bit of an oddity for such a tall boxer though since he doesn’t always use his height to his advantage.
Ramirez often prefers to work his way inside to engage instead of fighting at a safer distance. Along with Abraham, Bursak and Hart, some of his noteworthy opponents have been Derek Edwards, Fulgencio Zuniga, Junior Talipeau, and Derrick Findley. Ramirez has gone undefeated up to now basically because of his knockout power and the level of opponents he’s faced. He needs to tighten up defensively if he wants to remain unbeaten. To do this he should take better advantage of his height and control the distance in his bouts.
As for Angulo, he’s also a hard-hitting and undefeated boxer as he enters the ring with a perfect mark of 23-0 along with 20 big Kos. The 34-year-old stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with an unlisted reach so he gives up two inches in height against the champion. He made his debut back in 2010 and has fought just 61 rounds since then mainly due to his power. He obviously packs quite a punch with a current knockout ratio of 87 per cent. Since turning pro Angulo has won the WBO Latino and IBF Latino Super Middleweight Titles.
If there’s a knock against Angulo it’s basically for the level of opponents he’s faced over the years. The average boxing fan would be hard pressed to recognize any of his previous opponents and 10 of his 23 fights have come against boxers with losing records. Still, that doesn’t mean he isn’t a dangerous foe for Ramirez, because he definitely has the power to cause some damage. Angulo also combines his power with a pretty solid chin even though he’s been down on the canvas earlier in his career.
Prediction…
Ramirez needs to be better defensively or he could have some problems with Angulo’s power. He needs to use his size to advantage if he wants to retain his title. I think when all is said and done Ramirez’s experience against better opposition will lead him to victory.
