Bivol and Ramirez promise a historic showdown in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Both entering the ring undefeated, Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez have promised boxing fans a historic night to remember when they come face-to-face for the WBA world light-heavyweight title on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Etihad Arena in what represents the first world title fight held in the UAE.

The inaugural Champion Series event is organized by Matchroom Boxing and the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi.

Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn said ahead of the bumper night of boxing: “It’s all about making Abu Dhabi a destination for the elite level of the sport.

“On Saturday night we bring you an incredible night of boxing. There’s a lot of talk at the moment about how fights are falling through and not happening, so Saturday night is a celebration of how great this sport is.”

Saturday’s bout promises an intriguing contrast of styles between reigning champion Bivol, who scored a huge upset against pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez in May to take his record to 20-0-0, and dangerous southpaw and mandatory challenger Ramirez, who has 30 knockouts from his 44 wins, including five wins since going up a weight class in 2019.

Bivol, who has spent the past five weeks in Abu Dhabi preparing for this showdown, told reporters at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference: “Thank you to the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi for this opportunity to introduce boxing to Abu Dhabi.

“I’ve been here since Sept. 27 and I feel like I’ve had everything I’ve needed for training and everything I’ve needed to rest too.

“I believe it will be an exciting fight and maybe (in the future) boxing will become the main sport in Abu Dhabi. I hope it will as it’s my favorite sport, of course.”

Bivol first took