Zurdo Becomes WBA and WBO Heavyweight Champion

On November 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a unification bout in the cruiserweight division (up to 90.7 kg) took place between WBA champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) of Mexico and WBO titleholder Chris Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) of the UK.

Both fighters entered the ring with strong momentum: Ramirez claimed his WBA title in March by defeating Arsen Goulamirian, becoming the first Mexican champion in cruiserweight history. Meanwhile, Billam-Smith avenged his sole career loss to Richard Riakporhe in June.

The fight went the full distance, with Ramirez emerging victorious via unanimous decision (UD 12). The judges scored the bout 116-112, 116-112, and 116-113 in favor of Ramirez.

Fight Statistics

According to Compubox:

Total Punches Landed: Ramirez threw 582 punches, landing 236 (40.5%), while Billam-Smith threw 652, landing 233 (35.7%).

Jabs: Ramirez connected with 56 out of 163 (34.4%), while Billam-Smith landed 20 out of 106 (18.9%).

Power Punches: Ramirez landed 180 out of 419 (43%), while Billam-Smith connected on 213 out of 546 (39%).

Body Shots: Ramirez landed 64 punches to the body, 58 of which were power punches. Billam-Smith landed 51 body shots, all of which were power punches.