Zurdo Ramirez successfully answered many questions about how he would face a “real” cruiserweight in Inglewood, California tonight, defeating Arsene Goulamirian, easily landing his power shots, and ultimately winning Goulamirian’s WBA belt as well.
Zurdo (46-1, 30 KO) didn’t get off to an simple start, as Goulamirian (27-1, 18 KO) made him look uncharacteristically compact as he followed him around the ring and near the ropes. And for a muscular and somewhat reluctant guy, Goulamirian looked more energetic and fresh during the first half of the fight.
Zurdo looked like he ran out of gas in the first three or four rounds after Goulamirian’s best effort, but ultimately his gas tank was deeper. Zurdo turned the tide in his favor with excellent work in the fifth and sixth rounds, finding openings and landing his powerful shots.
Goulamirian didn’t adjust as Zurdo found his boxing rhythm, opting instead to look for the final punch that never came. Coach Abel Sanchez was shown midway through the 11th round throwing his hands up in frustration as Goulamirian was unable or unwilling to accommodate Zurdo’s Plan B with one of his own.
There was a one round difference on my card after the 7th, but Zurdo just outscored and passed Goulamirian the rest of the way. The unofficial score was 117-111 for Zurdo, and the official scores were a little wider at 118-110 from all three judges. It was a much better fight than the results would suggest, featuring high-quality exchanges and success for both fighters in each round of the fight.
Zurdo wins a world title for the first time since holding the 168-pound belt in 2018, and his forceful performance has him now in the discussion for the best non-Jai Opetai cruiserweight in the world.
As for Goulamirian, he walks away with the first loss of his career, handing over a belt he held for years but rarely defended. He’s 36 and hasn’t fought much, even when he was a champion, so it’s unclear whether he’ll call it a career or try to get back to competing in a largely open division.
Alexis Rocha TKO-7 Fredrick Lawson
A solid performance from Alexis Rocha in the main support role, although not quite a fireworks show. Rocha (24-2, 16 KO) controlled the fight throughout the match, but did not insist that Fredrick Lawson end the fight quickly.
The wait for a knockout paid off for Rocha, first with a sixth-round knockdown and a violent rally that had Lawson (30-5, 22 KO) on the ropes at the end of the seventh round, just before the referee stopped him. as you’ll see in the second highlight below. Instead, Lawson’s corner ended the fight between rounds, and Rocha declares a TKO victory.
Other results:
- Ricardo Sandoval via TKO-8 Carlos Buitrago
- Santiago Dominguez SD-10 Jose Sanchez
- Joel Iriarte via TKO-1 Kevin Aguirre