Gilberto Ramirez vs Alfonso Lopez Preview Dec. 18th
Unbeaten former WBO Super Middleweight Champion Gilberto Ramirez of Mexico is back in action this Friday, Dec. 18th when he takes on Alfonso Lopez of Corpus Christie, Texas. The 12-round bout from Galveston, Texas is for the NABF Light Heavyweight Title and can be seen on pay per view in America. Ramirez last fought in April, 2019 when he stopped fellow southpaw Tommy Karpency after four rounds. Lopez last saw action in November of last year when he won the vacant NABF Title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Denis Grachev.
Ramirez vs Lopez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Alfonso Lopez +1400
- Gilberto Ramirez -10000
My Pick
The 29-year-old Ramirez became the first Mexican to capture a world super middleweight title when he beat Arthur Abraham via unanimous decision in 2016 and he’ll enter the ring with a perfect record of 40-0 with 26 Ko’s. He stands close to 6-feet-3-inches tall and has a reach of 75 inches. He turned pro back in 2009 and has fought 227 rounds since. Ramirez possesses pretty good power in his fists and owns a knockout ratio of 65 per cent. He’s is a bit of an oddity for such a tall boxer though since he doesn’t always use his height to his advantage.
Ramirez often prefers to work his way inside to engage instead of fighting at a safer distance. After beating Abraham, Ramirez defended his title against Max Bursak and Jesse Hart by unanimous decisions then stopped Habib Ahmed in six rounds. He then beat Roamer Alexis Angulo by unanimous decision and Jesse Hart by majority decision in a rematch before moving up in weight to face Karpency. Overall, Ramirez has gone the distance in eight out of his last 10 bouts.
Some of his other noteworthy opponents have been Derek Edwards, Fulgencio Zuniga, Junior Talipeau, and Derrick Findley. Ramirez has gone undefeated up to now basically because of a combination of power, skills and aggressiveness. He needs to tighten up defensively if he wants to remain unbeaten but has displayed a solid chin up to now. However, he may be more effective if he took better advantage of his height and controlled the distance in his bouts.
The 38-year-old Lopez is also a decent banger with a mark of 32-3 with 25 Ko’s. He boxed 177 rounds since masking his pro debut in 2007 and currently owns a knockout ratio of 71.4 per cent. He stands just over 6-feet tall with a 75-inch wingspan so gives up two inches in height and five inches in reach to Ramirez. He’s also in possession of a solid chin as he’s never been stopped as a pro.
Lopez was a good amateur who made it to the final of the 2006 U.S. National Championship and the semi-final of the 2007 U.S. Pan-Am box offs. Since turning pro, he’s been beaten by Kelly Pavlik by 10-round majority decision in 2011, by 10-round unanimous decision to Dyah Davis in 2012 and by six-round unanimous decision to Justin Williams in his very next fight.
In fact, all three of Lopez’s losses came in a four-fight span and he’s been unbeaten since February of 2012. His biggest wins have been against the likes of Aaron Norwood, Gabriel Holguin, Rubin Williams and Milton Nunez. Lopez captured the vacant USA Texas State Super Middleweight Title in 2009 along with the vacant WBC Continental Americas Crown in 2010 and the vacant WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Title in July of 2019.
Prediction…
Lopez has performed well against average opposition and struggled when facing upper-class boxers. He’s also 38 years old now. Ramirez is looking to keep busy while hoping to land a title shot at one of the light heavyweight champions and should be able to take care of Lopez. However, he can’t be careless as Lopez has enough power to cause some damage.
Lopez’s age will be a factor.
Play: Ramirez -10000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Alfonso Lopez betting • Gilberto Ramirez betting