LOS ANGELES, CA. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez has built a professional boxing career that connects a difficult childhood in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, with championship runs across multiple weight classes and appearances on major international stages.
Born in 1991, Ramírez began boxing at age 12 after growing up in a challenging environment. Before becoming a world champion, he worked in construction and carried heavy bags of cement to help his family. ESPN has documented how boxing gave him a different path and became a central part of his development as a young athlete. (ESPN)
In April 2016, Ramírez defeated Arthur Abraham by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to capture the WBO super middleweight championship. The victory made him the first Mexican-born fighter to win a world title at 168 pounds, a milestone confirmed by the WBO. (WBO)
Ramírez went on to make five successful defenses of the super middleweight title before moving up in weight. He later competed at light heavyweight and eventually settled into the cruiserweight division. (Golden Boy Promotions; ESPN)
Ramírez added another championship chapter in 2024. He defeated Arsen Goulamirian by unanimous decision to win the WBA cruiserweight title, becoming the first Mexican-born fighter to claim a world championship in the division. Later that year, he defeated Chris Billam-Smith to add the WBO belt and become a unified cruiserweight champion. (WBA; Golden Boy Promotions)
In June 2025, Ramírez successfully defended the unified championships against Yuniel Dorticos by unanimous decision. His next major bout came against David Benavidez on May 2, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Benavidez stopped Ramírez in the sixth round to become the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion. After that bout, Ramírez’s professional record stood at 48 victories, including 30 knockouts, and two defeats. (PBC Press Center)
The loss did not remove Ramírez from the upper tier of the cruiserweight rankings. In August 2026, The Ring listed him as its No. 2 cruiserweight contender, behind David Benavidez and champion Jai Opetaia. (The Ring; Box-Rank)
That ranking provides a current measure of his standing in the division, but his career story also reaches beyond a single result. Ramírez has moved from construction work in Mazatlán to championship fights in several weight classes, competing in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi along the way.
For business and sports audiences, his career offers a case study in reinvention, longevity and public visibility. Those themes are grounded in the progression of his boxing career rather than predictions about future partnerships or commercial opportunities.
At 35, with 50 professional fights behind him, Ramírez remains an active figure in the cruiserweight division. His championships are already part of Mexican boxing history. What comes next will shape how his career is remembered beyond the belts.
