Super Middleweight Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez defeats Gevorg Khatchikian at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
On Friday night, Nov. 20, 2015, the world No. 1 ranked super middleweight contender Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez of Mazatlán, Mexico got the win he needed to get a world championship fight opportunity inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com).
Ramirez defeats Khatchikian in Top Rank’s Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV
Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com.
Ramirez, 33-0, 25 KOs, won a 10 round decision over Gevorg Khatchikian, 23-2, 11 KOs, of The Netherlands, by scores of 100-90, 100-90 and 99-1. Ramirez is scheduled next to fight for the world championship against Arthur Abraham of Germany.
Ramirez defeats Khatchikian in Top Rank’s Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV
Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com.
“Ramirez was very active, busy with his punches and had good movement in the ring. All of that was a problem for me to resolve,” said Khatchikian.
Ramirez defeats Khatchikian in Top Rank’s Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV
Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com.
“I am now prepared to fight for the world title,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez defeats Khatchikian in Top Rank’s Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV
Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com.
In the opening bout on Top Rank’s Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, lightweight Saul ‘Neno’ Rodriguez of Riverside, California scored a stunning TKO 1 over Ivan ‘Bam Bam’ Najera of San Antonio. Rodriguez, trained by Robert Garcia, dropped Najera with a left hook and then stopped him with a combination and hard right hand.
Top Rank’s Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com.
“Saul is the next big fighter in boxing. He works extra hard in the gym and he will be a big star,” raved Garcia.
Super Middleweight Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and team celebrate his win over Gevorg Khatchikian at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com.
The time of stoppage in the first round was 2:06.
Super Middleweight Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez celebrates his win over Gevorg Khatchikian at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Photo credit: © Jeff Ragazzo / Kabik Photo Group / www.ErikKabik.com.
Rodriguez raised his record to 19-0-1, 14 KOs. Najera is now 16-2, 8 KOs.
In other bouts, unbeaten super featherweight Toka Khan Clary, 17-0, 11 KOs, of Providence, Rhode Island, stopped Sergio Lopez, 18-11-1, of Mexico in the second round.
“I am ready for big fights in 2016,” said Clary.
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in the light heavyweight division, stopped Cleiton Conceicao of Brazil at 0:50 in the third round. Gvozdyk, an extremely hard puncher from Ukraine, is now 8-0 with 4 KOs. Conceicao is 20-8-2, 16 KOs.
- Casey Ramos, 21-0, 5 KOs, of Austin, Texas, won an eight round super featherweight bout over Adones Aguelo, 24-13-2, 16 KOs, of The Philippines in a high action, entertaining bout. Afterwards, Ramos remarked “I am now ready for my shot at a world title.”
- Konstantin Ponomarev, 29-0, 13 KOs, of Russia, beat Ramses Agaton, 17-3-3, 9 KOs, of Mexico City. Ponomarev, who trained in the cold, snowy Big Bear Mountains in Southern California with trainer Abel Sanchez, won by scores of 79-73, 79-73. The third card was scored a draw.
At ringside were many world champions including the 2014 Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford of Omaha, Nebraska, world champion Timothy ‘Desert Storm’ Bradley of Palm Springs, former Fighter of the Year Nonito ‘The Filipino Flash’ Donaire of the Philippines, former world champion Jessie Vargas of Las Vegas, two-time Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez, Puerto Rican Olympian Felix Verdejo and the legendary Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini of Ohio.