Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez Vs. Joe Smith Jr.: Odds, Records, Prediction

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez is in definite need of a do-over. That’s because the past 11 months of his boxing career have been forgettable, losing decisively to Dmitry Bivol last November and then blowing a chance to face a well-worn Gabe Rosado because of weight issues. But now, Ramirez has moved up to cruiserweight, and he’ll face a former titlist in Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday. Considering Smith’s last performance, this could be a great time for Ramirez to have a fresh start. Here’s everything you need to know about Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Joe Smith Jr., including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Ramirez was disappointing in his unanimous decision loss to Bivol, and four months after that, Ramirez blew way past the light heavyweight limit, weighing in at 182.6 for his 175-pound contest vs. Rosado. The fight was called off, meaning that both fighters lost their paydays and Ramirez lost the chance to correct the course of his career. Afterward, Ramirez said that he’d always prided himself on being a professional and that it would be the last time he would miss weight.

The weight limit for Saturday’s fight vs. Smith is 193 pounds, and Ramirez should be physically more comfortable in his new division.

“I feel great at cruiserweight; this is typically the weight I’ve walked around my entire life,” Ramirez said at a media workout this week. “I feel much stronger in this class, and most importantly, I feel healthy.”

Ramirez is also coming off the disappointment of his defeat against Bivol, which he said “hurt my soul and it hurt my ego as a warrior.”

While Ramirez is a sizeable betting favorite vs. his opponent on Saturday, Smith could still cause issues for him, particularly if the former 175-pound world titlist can bring his overwhelming punching power to cruiserweight. Ramirez has a good chin, so Smith’s power might be blunted anyway. But Smith is also looking forward to not having to mind his weight quite as much. In fact, he said he wants to weigh 200 pounds on fight night.

“Personally, I have wanted to start bulking myself up and start moving up,” Smith told Boxing Scene. “That’s really what I wanted. That’s why I was trying to get these big fights at light heavyweight as quickly as possible. For my age and light heavyweight, I’ve been fighting at 175 since I was 16 years old. It’s time to move up . . . It’s a big relief not stressing about my weight every day in camp. It’s good. I eat as much carbs as I want now. Obviously, I stay away from the sugar and the crap food. But basically, I can eat anything I want and I still feel good.”

Here’s more info on the Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Joe Smith Jr. showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on DAZN beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Joe Smith Jr. odds

Ramirez is the solid betting favorite at -400 (bet $400 to win $100), while Smith is the +300 underdog (win $300 on a $100 wager). Maybe, if you like Smith, go with him to win by stoppage at +800 and hope he can find a way to crack Ramirez’s chin (though I have my doubts that he can in the cruiserweight division). But I am more inclined to believe Ramirez can hurt and stop Smith, so I’d take him to win by KO/TKO at +110.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Ramirez to beat Smith at -400, Leigh Wood to beat Josh Warrington at -225 and Terri Harper to beat Cecilia Braekhus by decision at -334. If all those hit, you’d win $134 on a $100 wager. That’s not a great parlay value, so instead, if you took Wood to beat Warrington by decision at +125 and Ramirez to stop Smith at +110, you’d make a $514 profit on that same $100 parlay.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Joe Smith Jr. records

Though Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) fell in his last fight for the first time in his career, he has solid victories on his resume. That includes two wins vs. Jesse Hart at super middleweight and a win vs. Sullivan Barrera at light heavyweight. Considering Barrera outboxed Smith in 2017, a few years before Ramirez flattened Barrera in four rounds, that’s a good sign for Ramirez.

It seems that Smith (28-4, 22 KOs) is a good candidate to take a beating from Ramirez, assuming Ramirez is in shape. Smith got destroyed in the second round by Artur Beterbiev 16 months ago, and whenever he’s stepped into the ring with more talented technical fighters, like Dmitry Bivol, Smith has a much harder time. Smith’s wins vs. Bernard Hopkins and Jesse Hart feel like a long time ago.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Joe Smith Jr. prediction

Ramirez is going to be too big and too strong for Smith. I can appreciate that Smith is going to get a nice payday, but I worry that he’s gotten a little old and that his punch resistance is slipping. Smith already got knocked out by the best light heavyweight. I don’t see him faring a whole lot better against the man who could be the next top cruiserweight. Say, Ramirez by eighth-round stoppage against Smith.

More boxing coverage here: