Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto Ramirez confirmed for November 9 in the UAE

Dmitry Bivol is set to defend his WBA Light Heavyweight Championship against mandatory challenger Gilberto Ramirez on November 9 in the UAE.

Bivol has not faced a mandatory challenger since 2018 when he beat Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, and Jean Pascal in the same year.

Dmitry Bivol famously captured a shock victory against Canelo Alvarez in his last fight on the "Cinco De Mayo" weekend. With the victory over Canelo, Bivol propelled himself into the top ten pound-for-pound rankings.

Watch the fight highlights of Canelo vs Bivol:

Meanwhile, Ramirez has been building an impressive resume that warranted him getting a title shot. Now 44-0 with thirty knockouts, 'Zurdo' destroyed Dominic Boesel via fourth-round knockout in his most recent outing at the Toyota Arena in Ontario.

Check out Michael Benson's post:

It is no secret that Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, tried to get a title shot for his British charge Joshua Buatsi. Bivol even handed in an exemption request to the WBA to face Buatsi. However, the request was denied because the Mexican had won two title elimination bouts- earning for himself the spot of mandatory challenger.

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Gilberto Ramirez believes he can knock Dmitry Bivol out

Ramirez is not fazed by Bivol's dominant victory over former pound-for-pound king and compatriot, Canelo Alvarez. 'Zurdo' appeared confident in a July interview with Fight Hype that he can knock Bivol out. He said:

"I will prove myself that I can do it and I will prove to everyone that I'm the best... everything can happen in the ring right? And maybe I can knock him out. Yeah, I see myself raising my hand as a champion."

Watch the full interview:

Ramirez is a former world champion at 168 lbs, he defeated Arthur Abraham back in 2016 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to capture the WBO belt. He then defended his strap against the likes of Jesse Hart and Habib Ahmed before moving up to 175 lbs in 2019.

Regardless, it will be fair to say that Dmitry Bivol will be the toughest opponent of his career so far. Like Ramirez, Bivol is still undefeated. The Russian also comes from a phenomenal amateur background and even captured a gold medal at the 2013 World Combat Games.