Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez results: Bivol retains WBA crown with clinic as Cameron becomes undisputed

Dom Farrell

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Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez results: Bivol retains WBA crown with clinic as Cameron becomes undisputed image

ETIHAD ARENA, ABU DHABI — Dmitry Bivol produced a boxing clinic to defend his WBA light-heavyweight title against a game but over-matched Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez.

Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) was back in the ring for his first outing since defeating pound-for-pound king Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and faced a very different problem in the form of hulking Mexican southpaw Ramirez, who carried a 44-0 record into the ring.

The fighters clashed in centre-ring after a fiery exchange at the end of round one, but any suggestions of a barnburner proved to be misplaced as Bivol immaculately went through his repertoire to win a unanimous decision by margins of 118-110 and 117-111 (twice).

Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) proved to have a solid chin but suffered a frustrating night at the mercy of the champion's masterful punch-picking and distance control, with his signature body attacks only sporadically successful.

MORE: Will Anthony Joshua stay with trainer Robert Garcia in 2023?

Zurdo's torment was one of inches, from the punches that glided past Bivol's nose as he slipped out of range, to the precise left hooks and right hands to chin and temple that sapped his ample reserves.

A money-spinning Canelo rematch or a showdown with Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light-heavyweight championship are two possibilities for next year after Bivol concluded his strong claims to be named the best male fighter of 2022.

Britain's Chantelle Cameron claimed her own piece of undisputed glory in the co-main event as her super-lightweight showdown with Jessica McCaskill showcased a similar gulf in skills.

McCaskill (12-3, 5 KOs), herself undisputed at welterweight, rallied over the closing rounds as Cameron was compromised by a nasty cut on the bridge of her nose, but cards of 97-93 and 96-94 (twice) to move the champion to 17-0 and the pinnacle of her sport were richly deserved.

The fight of the night came as Shavkat Rakhimov and Zelfa Barrett produced an instant classic for the vacant IBF super-featherweight title. Rakhimov (17-0-1) was decked and hurt in round three as Barrett (28-2, 16 KOs) made a fast and intelligent start. 

But the Freddie Roach protege relentlessly surged forward in search of glory and eventually broke Barrett's will, flooring his foe before the towel came in during round nine, with the Manchester fighter appearing to have suffered a leg injury in the onslaught. Former champion Joe Cordina is up next in a mouth-watering first defence for Rakhimov.

MORE: What's next for Dmitry Bivol?

The Sporting News provided live coverage of Bivol vs. Zurdo, as well as the rest of the card 

Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez round-by-round results, highlights

Round 1: Both men have a look for the first minute. Bivol will have noticed Ramirez really is massive but he likes what he sees, gets a couple of jabs through and then a right that seems to wobble Zurdo. The challenger belatedly has some success in the closing seconds but Bivol responds with a right to the temple before a spicy exchange at the bell.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 10-9 Ramirez

Round 2: Ramirez is absolutely peppering the space a couple of inches in front of Bivol's nose. The champion's distance control, just taking a little half-step back to make his opponent miss, is masterful. His response of choice has been a stinging left hook and he's finding the mark with plenty of head shots.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 20-18 Ramirez

Round 3: Zurdo didn't wear as many hurtful shots in that round, but this is already becoming an immensely frustrating experience for him. Bivol is there in front of Ramirez most of the time, but he can't hit him. The Mexican contingent in the crowd have gone a bit quiet.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 30-27 Ramirez

Round 4: A rapid, spiteful Bivol one-two briefly looks to have Ramirez in trouble by the ropes. He rallied well enough but the dual equation of him getting hit often and not being able to hit his opponent hasn't really changed.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 40-36 Ramirez

Round 5: Bivol looks to open up and it's a rare error, leaving himself open to an uppercut. That's Ramirez's best moment of the fight, Bivol circles away on his toes and re-groups. Oh dear, I think that might have irritated him. More straight, stinging shots in centre-ring. Zurdo absorbs some more punishment on the ropes before the bell. There's nothing wrong with his chin but he doesn't want to take too many more of those.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 50-45 Ramirez

Round 6: More activity from Ramirez in that round, who is dutifully sticking to his task. Little to choose between them over those three minutes and it might get the Mexican on the board.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 59-55 Ramirez

Round 7: Solid enough first minute from Zurdo but left hooks can be a problem for southpaws, particularly one as clean, crisp and short as Bivol's. He catches the challenger on his reliable chin to stagger him, some more heavy shots follow. Ramirez's long leavers help to prevent it from becoming major trouble but that's another Bivol round.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 69-64 Ramirez

Round 8: More Bivol success as he unloads on the ropes. Barring anything remarkable, he's got this 10th title defence boxed off and it feels like he's like a statement ending. Ramirez fires back but not much gets through as Bivol covers up effectively to have a bit of a breather.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 79-73 Ramirez

Round 9: Goodness, he must be infuriating to face. Ramirez finally gets home with some of his signature body shots. He backs Bivol into the ropes - this is where he wants the fight to be. Then the champion springs from his shell to pepper the Mexican's chin, he looks in trouble but rides out the storm and Bivol dances almost gleefully away on his tiptoes.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 89-82 Ramirez

Round 10: Nothing much to split them in that one and Ramirez deserves credit for hanging with a man who is a level above. Bivol is coasting to victory.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 98-92 Ramirez

Round 11: Ramirez looks to force the pace, as he must. He ships straight right as Bivol counters off the ropes with another textbook assault. There's a wearying left to the temple towards the end of the round. Zurdo only has three minutes more of this to endure.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 108-101 Ramirez

Round 12: Zurdo stalks forward forlornly. Bivol measures his wounded prey and unloads in centre-ring. The Mexican would like to have proven more than having a stellar chin tonight, but that at least can be in no doubt. He's also not the first man to fail to lay a meaningful glove on the imperious Dmitry Bivol.

SN unofficial scorecard: Bivol 118-110 Ramirez

Chantelle Cameron beats Jessica McCaskill (UD) to become the undisputed super-lightweight world champion

Round 1: McCaskill looks to fly after Cameron in her customary style but the champion reads her attacks well and starts finding a home with her crisp jab. "Beautiful!" hollers her coach Jamie Moore as the right hand begins to come into play off the left-hand lead.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 10-9 McCaskill

Round 2: McCaskill is awkward and throws from odd angles but Cameron is reading her and timing her. There's a lovely right to the body too from the Briton. Her corner urges her not to get greedy. 

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 20-18 McCaskill

Round 3: A scrappy round at times and McCaskill scores with a couple of her clumping right hands and a left hook. She needs it to get scrappier because when they get to boxing and Cameron can unfurl crisp shots from mid-range there's a gulf in class.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 30-27 McCaskill

Round 4: "Boxing lesson!" exclaims Cameron's assistant trainer Nigel Travers. That might be over-egging it a bit because McCaskill is easy work for no one, but it's not far wrong. Another one in the bank for the champion.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 40-36 McCaskill

Round 5: The pattern is set in this one at the moment. McCaskill is a formidable competitor and has achieved great things in the sport. She pledged a knockout in this one. We're getting close to the situation where that's what she needs.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 50-45 McCaskill

Round 6: McCaskill landed a few more in that round, but there was always something in return from Cameron, who is making her opponent look ragged with slick half steps that leave the American swinging at fresh air.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 60-54 McCaskill

Round 7: Cameron catches McCaskill flush in centre-ring. She seems to stagger a bit. The challenger bites down on her gumshield and the fighters exchange. Again Cameron looks like she gets the better of it, but she's cut! It's unclear whether that was from punch or a head clash but it looks nasty. Cameron is way up on the cards but now faces a fresh challenge.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 70-63 McCaskill

Round 8: As you'd expect, McCaskill tries to prey on any discomfort. It's her best round of the fight and a couple of hard rights shade it her way. Still, if Cameron stays upright for the next four minutes she will surely be undisputed champion.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 79-73 McCaskill

Round 9: Another good two minutes for McCaskill, but whatever problems Cameron is having with her facial injury, her feet are still keeping her out of significant trouble.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 88-83 McCaskill

Round 10: McCaskill dredges out one last effort, but Cameron is equal to her advances. Both give as good as they get. It's debatable who won the final round. There should be no debate over the overall winner.

SN unofficial scorecard: Cameron 98-92 McCaskill

Shavkat Rakhimov beats Zelfa Barrett (TKO 9) to win the IBF super-featherweight title

Round 1: Barrett keeps things nicely long in the first minute, darting in to score to the body and back out again. The Englishman is boxing quite nicely on the back foot but Rakhimov is pretty relentless and starts to close the ring down more effectively, getting through with increasing regularity to shade a competitive round.

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 10-9 Barrett

Round 2: The bull-matador act resumes but it pans out pretty well for Barrett. Rakhimov is throwing heavy-looking shots but a lot are taken on gloves and arms or glance upstairs. Barrett uses some nice variety, scoring to the body and finding a pleasing check hook. 

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 19-19 Barrett

Round 3: Barrett has been oozing confidence all week and this is why - he lands a flush counter to wobble Rakhimov in the centre of the ring. He goes to the body again and Rakhimov complains to the referee about a low shot. The instruction is "box on" and Barrett does just that, unloading. Back comes Rakhimov with a thudding shot of his own over a lazy jab, but he gets greedy, comes in square on and Barrett drops him! What a round.

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 27-29 Barrett

Round 4: Another very encouraging, all-action round for Barrett. He pings an uppercut onto Rakhimov's chin, then goes to the body and there are more complaints to the referee. Bad signs for Freddie Roach's fighter. He is still in there swinging though and finished with a solid left of his own to Zelfa's torso.

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 36-39 Barrett

Round 5: Rakhimov really does not like the body attack. Barrett appears to hurt him again. The Tajikistani might be southpaw but he's anything but awkward. He's very easy to find. He does thresh forwards with menace though. Rakhimov closes the session well, maybe not enough to nick it but he'll hope that turn the tide.

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 45-49 Barrett

Round 6: Barrett has been pawing at his nose and cheek for the past few rounds. He's less effective here and Rakhimov gets the nod as the busier, more effective man in those three minutes.

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 55-58 Barrett

Round 7: Not for the first time, Rakhimov throws after the bell. Barrett gives as good as he gets and there are words between the fighters. Barrett's pace has slowed a little and Rakhimov is still pursuing him relentlessly.

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 65-67 Barrett

Round 8: This one follows a similar pattern. Barrett is throwing fewer effective shots and not moving as elusively as he was. This is hard work and Rakhimov closes the ring down time and again to bang away. There is a lovely clipping uppercut from Barrett but it feels like another Rakhimov round.

SN unofficial scorecard: Rakhimov 75-76 Barrett

Round 9: Barrett lands some nice shots to the midsection. But Rakhimov is impossible to shake. A big right hand shakes Barrett, he reels around the ring with his tormentor in pursuit and goes down in the neutral corner. He beats the count, just and more punishment follows. Barrett fires back and lands a couple but he can't manage to hold. Under another barrage, he falls again and his corner throw in the towel.

Galal Yafai beats Gohan Rodriguez Garcia (SD)

7:50 p.m. GMT/3:50 p.m ET: Well, well. That was very close, with one judge giving it to Garcia and Yafai prevailing by a point on the other two. Perhaps a bit of a reality check for the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, but he looked like a deserved winner from this vantage point.

 

7:40 p.m. GMT/3:40 p.m ET: "Chin down when you hook, Galal!" McCracken booms from the corner. There's an edge of concern in his voice and this one is close. It's become the sort of eventful night the Yafai clan would not have wanted.

7:20 p.m. GMT/3:20 p.m ET: Galal Yafai is smoothly into his work in round three of his WBC International flyweight fight with Gohan Rodriguez Garcia. He's boxing nicely and picking his attacks well. It's all the more laudable given his brother Kal left the dressing room in a wheelchair and has been taken to hospital for a check over after his ordeal with Paclar. There is no suggestion that anything serious is wrong with the elder Yafai, but it serves as a reminder of boxing's brutal realities.

6:54 p.m. GMT/2:54 p.m ET: There were a couple of impressive wins earlier on for unbeaten prospects Campbell Hatton and Aqib Fiaz. Hatton, the son of British boxing great Ricky, produced a sickening left hook to the body that his father would have been proud to call his own, ending the argument in round one against an over-matched Denis Bartos.

Fiaz is a popular gym mate of Cameron’s and worked through his repertoire for a shutout win over Spain’s Diego Valiterra. That moved him to 10-0 and thrilled a vocal traveling fanbase, who have come all the way from Oldham in the north west of England. Promoter Eddie Hearn talked up a matchup between the two afterwards and it could certainly be an arena-filler in Manchester down the line.

Kal Yafai beats Jerald Paclar (UD)

Yafai gets it, 96-93 twice and by a razor thin 95-94 on the third card. That's probably about right and after almost three years out, the former world champion showed commendable character to come through a storm. However, you wouldn't have expected Yafai anywhere near his peak to have had such struggles in the first place. McCracken will deal with the debrief in due course but he has a quick turnaround before heading back out with younger brother and rising star Galal Yafai.

6:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET: No glove touch from the fighters as they emerge for the 10th and final round. It really hasn't been that sort of occasion. Both throw manically in the final seconds, both celebrate at the final bell. That was brutal at times. Despite probably being four points behind after three rounds after his nightmare start, I think Yafai has done enough to turn things around and nick that. We'll find out soon enough...

6:23 p.m. GMT/2:23 p.m. ET: Into round nine. "You need these two, Kal," shouts Yafai's coach Rob McCracken from the corner. About half a second later Paclar pings home a left-uppercut, with an almost comic sense of timing. Things get a bit slapstick as Paclar slips near his own corner for the second time in the fight.

6:16 p.m. GMT/2:16 p.m. ET: This has turned in Yafai's favour now. Increasingly, Paclar's money shot - the wild, winging overhand right - is finding fresh air. Taking into account the early knockdown, this is probably something like all-square heading into the final three rounds. 

6:08 p.m. GMT/2:08 p.m. ET: Yafai is still staying very much in harm's way but he's putting his punches together nicely now and troubling Paclar to head and body. One shot to the latter went too far south in round five and there was a timeout for the Filipino, who copped one amid ships.

6:00 p.m. GMT/2:00 p.m. ET: Oof, this is torrid for Yafai. There's nothing overly complicated about Paclar's work but he knows he can hurt his illustrious foe and he's swinging for the fences. Yafai is having some success digging left hands into the body but he's staying in the pocket too long and too often to wear Paclar's right hand. He was down again in the third but it was ruled a slip.

MORE: Join DAZN to watch Bivol vs. Ramirez

5:56 p.m. GMT/1:56 p.m. ET: Yafai looked like he was recovering in round two, getting his legs back under him. But the Filipino again made good on his "Predator" nickname by thudding in a couple more heavy right hands inside the final 30 seconds of the session Every time those landed, they hurt Yafai. A sedate reintroduction to competitive boxing, this is not.

5:53 p.m. GMT/1:53 p.m. ET: Huge drama here on the undercard! Kal Yafai, the former super-flyweight world champion, is back in action for the first time in more than two-and-a-half years against Jerald Paclar in a 10-round bantamweight contest. A huge right hand from Paclar decks Yafai and badly. The Briton was hurt again before the bell and was hanging on. This is a huge test now.

5:45 p.m. GMT/1:45 p.m. ET: Bivol is the man who beat the man after his magnificent win over Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in May and he has another contrasting Mexican problem to solve tonight in the form of hulking southpaw Ramirez, the former WBO super-middleweight champion who boasts a 44-0 record with 30 stoppages.

There are two huge world title fights on the undercard too, with reigning WBC and IBF super-lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron taking on American star Jessica McCaskill in a bid to become undisputed at 140lbs. Before that, the Freddie Roach-trained Shavkat Rakhimov and Manchester's Zelfa Barrett will do battle for the vacant IBF super-featherweight crown. Joe Cordina, who was stripped of the crown after suffering a broken hand, is ringside and signed to face the winner.

5:30 p.m. GMT/1:30 p.m. ET: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live, ringside coverage of Dmitry Bivol's WBA light-heavyweight title defence against undefeated Mexican Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez fight card

  • Dmitry Bivol (c) bt. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez for the WBA light-heavyweight title: UD 12
  • Chantelle Cameron (c) bt. Jessica McCaskill: IBF, WBC, WBA (vacant), WBO (vacant) super-lightweight titles: UD 10
  • Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov bt. Zelfa Barrett: TKO 9, wins the vacant IBF super-featherweight title
  • Galal Yafai (c) bt. Gohan Rodriguez Garcia: UD 10, retains WBC International flyweight title.
  • Kal Yafai bt. Jerald Paclar: UD 10
  • Campbell Hatton bt. Denis Bartos: KO 1/6
  • Aqib Fiaz bt. Diego Valiterra: UD 8

Dom Farrell

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Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.