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These two cruiserweights are on a collision course to unify the division
Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will return to the ring to defend his WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles against Yuniel Dorticos as chief support to Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28.
This fight will have big implications for the future unification of the cruiserweight division – if Ramirez successfully defends his belts, then a massive fight with the IBF and Ring champion Jai Opetaia is surely next.
The two have been circling each other since Ramirez became unified champion against Chris Billam-Smith last year, and both have expressed interest in making the fight.
Opetaia called Ramirez out after handily dispatching Claudio Squeo earlier this month.
The IBF champion said: "Next fight, [Gilberto] 'Zurdo' Ramirez, he’s mentioned me, he’s told me he will fight me next after his mandatory. Let’s get it on, I’m chasing that belt, let’s go."
If this fight is made, it will put the victor on a path to becoming the undisputed champion in a division that has been in flux since the departure of Oleksandr Usyk.
Who was the last undisputed cruiserweight champion?
The last man to bring the cruiserweight division under singular reign was Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian took ten fights to acquire his first world title, then swept up the rest of the division in only five fights, beating Krysztof Glowacki, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev.
Usyk defended his undisputed championship once against Tony Bellew, whom he knocked out in the eighth round. He then vacated his titles in search of heavyweight glory.
Since Usyk handed back his cruiserweight belts, only one man has held two titles simultaneously - that is Ramirez. Preceding that, the cruiserweight division was fractured and the champions scattered.
Where are the belts now?
To become an undisputed champion, one must possess all four of the major organisations’ (WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF) belts.
At 200lbs, the belts are split between three champions – Opetaia, Ramirez and Badou Jack.
Ramirez holds the WBO and WBA titles – he first acquired the WBA belt in March last year, beating Aren Goulamirian to become the first Mexican cruiserweight champion. Chris Billam-Smith was next to the sword, and Ramirez beat the Brit across twelve rounds to take his WBO title.
Opetaia holds the IBF belt – the Aussie is technically a two-time cruiserweight champion. He first acquired the belt in 2022, beating Mairis Briedis via unanimous decision before getting stripped by the IBF in 2023 and was forced to fight Briedis again to reacquire his vacant IBF strap.
Badou Jack is the WBC champion – The Swede beat Ilunga Makabu in 2023 and was made champion in recess later that year when he wanted to make a move to bridgerweight. He was reinstated as full champion at the end of 2024, taking the belt from Noel Mikaelian, whom he fought in May this year, defending his title via majority decision.
How could Opetaia or Ramirez become the next undisputed champion?
If a fight between Opetaia and Ramirez is next, Ramirez will first have to defeat Dorticos, which is no easy task. The Cuban is a former IBF champion and has fought some of the best cruiserweights of this era, including Mairis Breidis, Murat Gassiev and Mateusz Masternak.
Opetaia has held up his end of the bargain, easily defending his title against Claudio Squeo and has made his intentions clear - he is happy to wait for Ramirez.
There is another roadblock in the form of the WBC, which has ordered an immediate rematch between Badou Jack and Noel Mikaelian after the result of their fight earlier this year was appealed by Mikaelian and his team, who believed he was not given a fair shake on the scorecards.
This makes becoming the undisputed champion a challenge of patience just as much as a challenge of boxing ability, with Opetaia potentially eyeing a move to heavyweight and rumours circulating of Ramirez fighting Jake Paul, both men will be hoping to consolidate the division sooner rather than later.
Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will be streamed exclusively on DAZN PPV this Saturday (June 28). Buy the PPV now here
