Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez put on what was arguably the best performance of his career, considering the level of opponent he was facing tonight. Zurdo (45-1, 30 KOs) would put on a boxing display that featured clean punching to the head and body, lots of angles, and even a little resilience as he had to fend off a strong Joe Smith Jr (28-5, 22 KOs).
Unfortunately for Smith, however, his lumbering approach didn’t suit him so well against Zurdo who was agile on his feet, and was able to maneuver in and out and land his punches throughout the fight. At the end of the ten rounds of action, all three official judges turned in scores of 99-91 in favor of Zurdo. I scored the fight 98-92 for Zurdo on behalf of BLH.
In the aftermath of the fight Ramirez said he was happy with his performance and where he’ll go from here, while Smith also expressed his satisfaction with his performance despite the wide points lost.
Zurdo vs Smith highlights
Undercard results
- Bektemir Melikuziev TKO-4 Alantez Fox (2:44). The Bully (13-1, 10 KOs) was back in effect tonight, showcasing his power and shaking up Fox (28-5-1, 13 KOs) as early as the first round. Bek’s continued pressure and power punching ultimately got to Fox and with the referee dissatisfied with Fox’s ability to defend himself, he would stop the fight before the end of the fourth round.
- Darius Fulghum KO-1 Alan Campa (2:58). Fulghum (8-0, 8 KOs) coverwhelmed Campa (18-9, 12 KOs) and landed a short left to the body at the end of the first round to score the stoppage.
- Jose Sanchez UD-8 Eric Tudor (78-74, 77-75, 77-75). Eric Tudor (9-1, KOs) suffered left eye damage fairly early in the fight which clearly hampered him, and Sanchez (14-3-1, 4 KOs) took full advantage to push the pace throughout the fight to hand Tudor his first professional loss.