On Saturday, April 22, 2017, Gilberto Ramirez (34-0, 24 KOs) scored a 12-round unanimous decision victory against Max Bursak (33-4-1, 15 KOs) in the first defense of his WBO Super Middleweight title at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California.
The fight was the co-main event of a Top Rank PPV that was headlined by the WBO title fight between Featherweights Oscar Valdez and Miguel Marriaga.
Ramirez, a 25-year-old native of Mexico, began the fight by landing punches from short range, despite the advantages of his height, reach and southpaw stance.
Besides enjoying Ramirez’s willingness to fight at close range, Busak was also able to push Ramirez to the ropes, where he landed several left hooks in Rounds 2 and 3.
By Round 4, however, Ramirez effectively found his rhythm, and spent the rest of his fight throwing long shots from a distance and then throwing short shots at close range–none of which really hurt Bursak, a 32-year-old native of Ukraine.
Ramirez won with three scores of 120-106.
The fans at attendance weren’t happy with Ramirez’s lackluster performance, but it may have been caused by the 13-month layoff due to an injured hand.
What did you think of Ramirez’s performance? Let us know in the comments section below.