Former WBO World Super Middleweight champion and current WBA Super World Cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez defeated WBO World Cruiser champion Chris Billam-Smith on Saturday night on Latino Night at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) outworked Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs), winning a 12-round unanimous decision in the main event on DAZN.
In the first round, Billam-Smith had a slight edge in punches landed. In the opening minute of the second round, Ramirez landed a lead left to the chin. In the final minute, Billam-Smith landed a solid right on the chin. In the third round, Ramirez out-landed Billam-Smith.
In the fourth round’s final minute, Ramirez landed some solid lead lefts to the chin, and Billam-Smith took them well. His age and size are similar, with Billam-Smith having a small cut on his left eyelid.
Both had their moments in the fifth, with Billam-Smith landing uppercuts and Ramirez landing a big left on the chin at the bell. Ramirez had a big round with the blood from the left eyelid of Billam-Smith coming down his face in the sixth. The ring physician checked the eye between rounds.
In the seventh round, another good one for Ramirez out-landing Billam-Smith to the body, and Billiam-Smith’s left eye is partially closed. It was all Ramirez in the eighth until the final minute, with Billam-Smith landing three short rights on the chin.
Ramirez has to wonder what is holding Billam-Smith up in the ninth. He kept coming forward, walking into punches from Ramirez. A round later, Billam-Smith had his best round of the fight.
In the eleventh round, Billam-Smith showed a lot of heart, matching Ramirez punch for punch. Both had moments in the twelfth and final round, and they looked exhausted at the bell.
The scores were 116-112, 116-112, and 116-113.
In the co-main event, former 2012 Olympian and former WBC and WBO Light Welter champ Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) lost a close decision to WBO Intercontinental Super Light champ Arnold Barboza, Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision.
In the first round it was like a chess match. Barboza’s stronger finish may have won him the round. In the second and third rounds Ramirez continues coming forward in another close fight. In the fourth round Ramirez may have pulled out the round with a stronger finish.
In the fifth round, at the end of the minute, Barboza landed a solid right on the chin after controlling his jab. In the sixth and seventh rounds, it continued with Barboza’s jab making the difference. At both bells Barboza landed the jab and a right hand on Ramirez’s chin.
In the eighth and ninth rounds, Ramirez continued coming forward, possibly taking the rounds from Barboza. In the tenth and final round, Barboza landed good left hooks to the body, countering Ramirez in a close fight.
Referee Ricky Gonzalez. Scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94.
No. 1 ranked in all four sanctioning bodies, WBA Continental Americas Light champion southpaw William ‘Camaron’ Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) won a 10-round split decision over former IBF Super Feather champ southpaw Tevin ‘Two Time’ Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs), coming off the canvas for the WBC Interim Light title.
In the second round, Zepeda finished strong with a flurry of punches. In the fourth round, Farmer dropped Zepeda with a left counter on a miss on the chin at the halfway point of the round for an 8-count from Referee Harvey Dock. In the fifth round, Zepeda came back, landing more punches, while Farmer took the harder punches.
In the sixth round Zepeda came back well out landing Farmer putting much pressure on him. In the seventh round Zepeda kept coming forward but Farmer is countering him well enough to take a close round.
In the eighth and ninth rounds, each had their moments, with Zepeda coming forward and Farmer countering him, each taking a round. In the tenth and final round, Farmer lands jabs while Zepeda doesn’t. Zepeda lands punches in bunches, but Farmer knows how to tie him up, stopping him momentum. Farmer may have pulled off a big upset. The knockdown could make the difference.
Scores were 95-94 Zepeda, 95-94 Farmer, and 95-94 Zepeda.
WBA World Minimumweight Champion Thammanoon ‘CP Freshmart’ Niyomtrong (25-1, 9 KOs) was stopped by southpaw WBO Minimum Champ Oscar ‘El Pupilo’ Collazo (11-0, 8 KOs) in a unified title fight at 1:29 of the seventh round of a scheduled 12 rounds.
In the first five rounds, southpaw Collazo was the busier of the two for the most part. CP Freshmart seemed to be loading up for a big counter, but that has not happened.
In the sixth round, after a minute, CP Freshmart landed a solid right on the chin. With 30 seconds remaining, a counter right hook from Collazo on the chin and down went CP Freshmart for an 8-count from Referee Ricky Gonzalez.
In the seventh round, a double right hook from Collazo on the side of the head and down went CP Freshmart to the canvas for an 8-count from Referee Gonzalez a little over a minute into the round. Shortly later a border line left followed by a left uppercut to the chin from Collazo and down he went with Referee Gonzalez immediately waving it off.
Super Lightweight Oscar ‘La Migrana’ Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) defeated southpaw 2016 Olympian (over 100 bouts) Botirzhon ‘The Shark’ Akhmedov (10-4, 9 KOs) over ten rounds. Durate lost the early rounds but came back well enough to take the decision.
In the first round, late sub and two-time world title challenger southpaw Akhmedov seemed to have an edge. They have sparred many rounds against each other prior to this match. In the second through the fifth rounds, Akhmedov had an edge while Durate wasn’t as busy, and some punches fell short.
In the sixth and seventh rounds, Durate was able to land more due to Akhmedov now leading with his head more. In the eighth round, Durate landed a right in the first minute to Akhmedov’s chin, getting his attention. He came right back, but as the fight continued, Durate seemed to have an answer.
In the ninth round Durate landed many rights to the chin. There was not one clinch in the fight so far, making it easy for Referee Robert Hoyle. In the tenth and final round, Durate backed Akhmedov up the entire round, making him counter for the first time. At the end, a small cut on the forehead of Durate.
Scores were 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94.
Welter Ziyad ‘Zizo’ Almaayouf (6-0-1, 1 KO) ended in a majority six-round draw with Juan Carlos ’Demoledor’ Garcia (5-6-1).
In the first round, Almaayouf controlled it using his jab. In the final seconds, Garcia finished strong with left hooks. In the second round, late sub Garcia knocked out Almaayouf’s mouthpiece. Instead of taking it to the corner, Referee Robert Hoyle puts it back in. Garcia had a big round going to the body.
In the third round, Almaayouf ended the round by rocking Garcia with a left hook and knocking Garcia’s head back. In the fourth and fifth rounds, both had their moments. In the final seconds, Garcia drew blood from the nose of Almaayouf in the fourth.
In the sixth and final round Garcia won the war, but will he get the decision over the local opponent? No, ended in a draw.
Scores were 58-56 Almaayoug, 57-57 and 57.
The Ring announcers were Thomas Treiber and Michael Buffer in the main event.
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