Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez vs Yuniel Dorticos: Who has the edge heading into their fight?

Just earlier this month, IBF cruiserweight titleholder Jai Opetaia issued a gutsy challenge to Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.

Well, if Ramirez, the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight world champion, wants to see that fight come to fruition, he will have to defend the straps against a dangerous knockout artist in Yuniel Dorticos at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and exclusively live on DAZN Pay-Per-View on Saturday night.

The bout will serve as the co-feature to Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Ramirez (47-1, 30 knockouts) became the unified champ last November by delivering a dominant unanimous decision over Chris Billam-Smith in his third straight points victory.

Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) is riding a different kind of win streak as he took just 60 seconds to dispatch of Alan Campa last June for his third straight victory by knockout.

With the Ramirez-Dorticos winner on the road to undisputed glory for a showdown with Opetaia in sight, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge in this pivotal cruiserweight tilt.

Boxing Styles

At his best, the southpaw Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez is showing smooth footwork, pounding the body and drowning out opponents with a high volume of punches, picking his spots effectively and scoring with piercing combinations to bank round after round.

He will likely need those skills to be peaking against a heavy-handed, hard hitting Yuniel Dorticos who loads up on practically all of his shots, ensuring they are being leveraged with maximum force.

The boxing adage of styles makes fights certainly applies here with the slight edge going to the unified cruiserweight champion.

Edge: Ramirez

Power

Dorticos is referred to as 'The KO Doctor' for a reason as the Cuban fighter counts 25 of his 27 victories by knockout, including his first-round drubbing of Alan Campa last June.

Ramirez has power, too, with 30 of his 47 wins coming by stoppage.

The difference is Ramirez is more pointed with his power, blending in his heavier shots as part of his overall sweet science boxing package.

Dorticos, though, is trying to end fights, especially with that big right hand, making his power an eviscerating threat.

Edge: Dorticos

Mental Warfare

Opetaia calling out Ramirez puts the onus on ‘Zurdo’ to deliver a victory over Dorticos.

Dorticos is who stands in Ramirez’ way of trying to further unify at cruiserweight.

Yes, Ramirez will have to account for Dorticos’ home-run hitting, but it is a challenge that the champion’s boxing skills should be up for, giving him the mental edge of brimming confidence entering this fight.

Edge: Ramirez

Who has the edge in Ramirez vs Dorticos?

By our count, Ramirez has the 2-1 edge, and this bout gives the Sinaloa, Mexico product a chance to make the statement that his time is now, he holds the lion’s share of titles for a reason and the cruiserweight division is his.

Of course, Dorticos is capable of eradicating that with one blow.

But it is up to ‘Zurdo’ to show he is operating on a different level and he has the tools to do just that.

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Gilberto Ramirez vs Yuniel Dorticos will be streamed exclusively on DAZN PPV, Saturday, June 28.  Buy the PPV now here .