Arthur Abraham vs Gilberto Ramirez Preview April 9th
WBO World Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham of Armenia will be taking on undefeated Gilberto Ramirez of Mexico this Saturday, April 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Abraham has spent the majority of his pro career fighting out of Germany and this will be his first appearance in the U.S. since 2011. Abraham is a dependable and durable boxer even though he’s past his prime while Ramirez is a legitimate prospect with quite a bit of power. The 12-round bout is on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley rubber match and can be seen live on HBO pay-per-view.
Abraham vs Ramirez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Arthur Abraham +185
- Gilberto Ramirez -220
My Pick
The 36-year-old Abraham will be climbing through the ropes with a record of 44-4 along with 29 Kos while the 24-year-old Ramirez is perfect at 33-0 and has 24 Kos to his name. Abraham last stepped into the ring in November when he beat Martin Murray by split decision. He turned pro in 2003 and has 369 rounds to his name with a knockout ratio of 60 per cent. Abraham stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 72-inch reach. He’s a true world-class boxer who has taken on the likes of Murray, Robert Stieglitz, Howard Eastman, Kingsley Ikeke, Shannon Taylor, Kofi Jantuah, Edison Miranda, Raul Marquez, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch, and Andre Ward.
Abraham’s losses were to Stieglitz, Ward, Froch and Dirrell. Ward and Froch decisioned him while Abraham was disqualified in the last round against Dirrell and Stieglitz won by TKO. Abraham used to have quite a bit of power, but hadn’t scored a stoppage in eight fights dating back to 2012 until stopping Stieglitz in six rounds last summer. Ramirez is a southpaw and is quite a height for a super middleweight as he stands 6-feet-3-inches tall and has a reach of 75 inches. He turned pro back in 2009 and has fought 157 rounds since then. Ramirez possesses pretty good power in his fists and owns a knockout ratio of 73 per cent.
Ramirez is a bit of an oddity for such a tall boxer since he doesn’t always use his height to advantage. He refers to work his way inside to engage instead of fighting at a safer distance. Some of his noteworthy opponents have been Derek Edwards, Fulgencio Zuniga, Junior Talipeau, and Derrick Findley. He’ll be taking a huge step up in class on Saturday and will also find out that Abraham has an excellent chin as well as a pretty long reach for such a short fighter.
Abraham is a former IBF Middleweight Champion who made 10 defences before moving up in weight to the 168 lb. division. He took the WBO Super Middleweight crown in 2012 from Stieglitz, but lost the belt in a rematch the next year when the fight was stopped in the fourth round due to cuts. Abraham fought Stieglitz a total of four times though and won three of them. He took the title back from him via a split decision in 2014 and still owns it today.
Ramirez has gone undefeated up to now basically because of his knockout power and the level of opponents he’s faced. He needs to tighten up defensively if he wants to remain unbeaten. To do this he should take better advantage of his height and control the distance in his bouts. If he keeps getting hit flush on the chin he’s going to go down sooner or later. Abraham isn’t a huge puncher, but is still dangerous. Abraham likes to work his way inside and dig to the body and struggles sometimes when on the back foot.
Prediction……
Ramirez needs to establish a stiff right jab and catch the champion as he comes forward. He may also want to initiate the action and dig to Abraham’s body. In addition, he needs to move after throwing his shots so he isn’t in range of any counterpunches. Ramirez doesn’t have the experience of Abraham and he may be discouraged if the champ can stand up to his power. In his prime, Abraham takes the fight rather comfortably, but even at the age of 36 he should have enough left to at least win a decision.
This is a close fight, but the betting underdog Abraham has the experience to take it.
Play: Abraham +185 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Arthur Abraham betting • Gilberto Ramirez betting