Trent Reinsmith
- What: Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto Ramirez
- Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
- Location: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: DAZN
Dmitry Bivol is coming off the biggest win of his boxing career. In May, the 31-year-old kept his perfect record intact (20-0) with a unanimous decision win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. On Saturday, November 5, Bivol puts his unblemished record and his WBA light heavyweight title on the line against the also undefeated (44-0) Gilberto Ramirez at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. DAZN carries the bout.
Bivol is the No. 1 rated light heavyweight fighter according to The Ring magazine. He won the WBA interim light heavyweight crown in May 2016 with a unanimous decision win over Felix Valera. The Russian fighter was then elevated to undisputed champ in October 2019. He has 11 title defenses to his name. Bivol has 11 wins via knockout and nine decision victories.
Ramirez is the mandatory challenger for the WBA crown. The Ring has him rated as the No. 3 fighter in the light heavyweight division behind Bivol and the No. 2 rated Artur Beterbiev, who holds the IBF, WBC and WBO titles in the weight division. The 31-year-old is a former WBO super middleweight champ. Ramirez is coming off a May knockout win over Dominic Boesel. The Mexican-born boxer has 30 career knockout wins to go with 14 decision triumphs. Ramirez has stoppage wins in his last five bouts. He has not gone the distance since a majority decision win over Jesse Hart in December 2018.
Before we look at the WBA light heavyweight title fight between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez, check out the best boxing betting sites, where you can find the best boxing picks.
Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto Ramirez picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |  |  |
| Dmitry Bivol | -375 | -375 | -380 | -370 | -416 |
| Gilberto Ramirez | +275 | +260 | +280 | +270 | +266 |
Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto Ramirez prediction and pick
Gilberto Ramirez might not have the name recognition of Canelo Alvarez, but he is not a fighter Dmitry Bivol can afford to overlook. Ramirez has power and speed on his side in this matchup. In addition, the former middleweight has a penchant for throwing a lot of combinations. Fighting in that style allows Ramirez to use volume to confuse his opponents and break through their defensive guard. Another thing Ramirez does is end his combinations with heavy blows to the body, which is effective in scoring, breaking down his foe and forcing them to consider lowering their guards.
Bivol might not have the combinations of Ramirez, but he is very effective with his jab, throwing on average 36.5 jabs per round. What that allows Bivol to do is stay on the outside and control the fight at distance. When his style is at its best, Bivol is hard to hit. Only one boxer, Shakur Stevenson, has a better plus/minus than Bivol. The light heavyweight champs rating in that category is +18.1.
Bivol’s defensive numbers are impressive. No one gets hit with fewer power punches per round than Bivol at 4.1. Further, Bivol is No. 1 in defense, allowing his opponents to land just 12.7 percent of their power punches.
Pick: Dmitry Bivol to defeat Gilberto Ramirez.
Who has the edge
Gilberto Ramirez might have the edge in power, but he needs to be able to connect with those power punches to make them count. Simply put, Dmitry Bivol is the best defensive boxer in the light heavyweight division. What makes him even better is that he can land punches while he is backing up and his foe is trying to close the distance. Ramirez needs to find a way to pierce Bivol’s defense without getting countered. That’s a tall order.
Prediction: Dmitry Bivol to defeat Gilberto Ramirez.
Our pick
Gilberto Ramirez can win this fight, but to do so, he needs to be a completely different fighter than he has been in the past. I think he needed more time to make the necessary adjustments to overcome the stellar defense of Dmitry Bivol ahead of this title fight. With that, the best bet for the Bivol vs. Ramirez fight is for Bivol to win via decision.
Pick: Dmitry Bivol to beat Gilberto Ramirez via unanimous decision.
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