ETIHAD ARENA, ABU DHABI — Dmitry Bivol faces another Mexican challenge for his WBA light-heavyweight belt when he takes on Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in Abu Dhabi.
Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) outclassed pound-for-pound superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in May, securing a deserved unanimous-decision win to stun the wider sporting world.
The 31-year-old’s 10th defence against the similarly undefeated former WBO super-middleweight champion Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) headlines a stacked card of championship boxing at the Etihad Arena.
Chantelle Cameron and Jessica McCaskill will battle to decide the undisputed super-lightweight world championship, while Shavkat Rakhimov and Zelfa Barrett face off for the vacant IBF super-featherweight title.
The Sporting News is covering all the action from ringside and will be providing live updates.
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Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez live results, updates
6:23 p.m. GMT/2:23 p.m. ET: Into round nine. “You need these two, Kal,” shouts Yafai’s coach Rob McCracken from the corner. About half a second later Paclar pings home a left-uppercut, with an almost comic sense of timing. Things get a bit slapstick as Paclar slips near his own corner for the second time in the fight.
6:16 p.m. GMT/2:16 p.m. ET: This has turned in Yafai’s favour now. Increasingly, Paclar’s money shot – the wild, winging overhand right – is finding fresh air. Taking into account the early knockdown, this is probably something like all-square heading into the final three rounds.
6:08 p.m. GMT/2:08 p.m. ET: Yafai is still staying very much in harm’s way but he’s putting his punches together nicely now and troubling Paclar to head and body. One shot to the later when too far south in round five and there was a timeout for the Filipino, who copped one amid ships.
6:00 p.m. GMT/2:00 p.m. ET: Oof, this is torrid for Yafai. There’s nothing overly complicated about Paclar’s work but he knows he can hurt his illustrious foe and he’s swinging for the fences. Yafai is having some success digging left hands into the body but he’s staying in the pocket too long and too often to wear Paclar’s right hand. He was down again in the third but it was ruled a slip.
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5:56 p.m. GMT/1:56 p.m. ET: Yafai looked like he was recovering in round two, getting his legs back under him. But the Filipino again made good on his “Predator” nickname but thudding in a couple more heavy right hands inside the final 30 seconds of the session Every time those land, they hurt Yafai. A sedate reintroduction to competitive boxing, this is not.
5:53 p.m. GMT/1:53 p.m. ET: Huge drama here on the undercard! Kal Yafai, the former super-flyweight world champion, is back in action for the first time in more than two-and-a-half years against Jerald Paclar in a 10-round bantamweight contest. A huge right hand from Paclar decks Yafai and badly. The Briton was hurt again before the bell and was hanging on. This is a huge test now.
5:45 p.m. GMT/1:45 p.m. ET: Bivol is the man who beat the man after his magnificent win over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in May and he has another contrasting Mexican problem to solve tonight in the form of hulking southpaw Ramirez, the former WBO super-middleweight champion who boasts a 44-0 record with 30 stoppages.
There are two huge world title fights on the undercard too, with reigning WBC and IBF super-lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron taking on American star Jessica McCaskill in a bid to become undisputed at 140lbs. Before that, the Freddie Roach-trained Shavkat Rakhimov and Manchester’s Zelfa Barrett will do battle for the vacant IBF super-featherweight crown. Joe Cordina, who was stripped of the crown after suffering a broken hand, is ringside and signed to face the winner.
5:30 p.m. GMT/1:30 p.m. ET: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live, ringside coverage of Dmitry Bivol’s WBA light-heavyweight title defence against undefeated Mexican Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
When is Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez?
- Date: November 5 | November 6 in Australia
- Main card: 2 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. GMT | 5 a.m. AEDT
- Main event: 6 p.m. ET | 10 p.m. GMT | 9 a.m. AEDT (all times approximate)
Bivol vs. Ramirez will take place on Saturday, November 5. The main card will start at 2 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. GMT | 5 a.m. AEDT. Bivol and Ramirez should make their way to the ring around 6 p.m. ET | 10 p.m. GMT | 9 a.m. AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last. That will mean an approximate 2 a.m. start on the ground in Abu Dhabi.
How to watch Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States | Sat. Oct 29 | DAZN |
| Canada | Sat. Oct 29 | DAZN |
| United Kingdom | Sat. Oct 29 | DAZN |
| Australia | Sun. Oct. 30 | DAZN |
Bivol vs. Ramirez will be shown by DAZN globally.
The fight will be available to customers in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia as part of their standard subscription. It is not a pay-per-view event.
Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez price: How much does the card cost?
- DAZN monthly subscription: £7.99 in the UK, $19.99 in the US, $20 in Canada, $13.99 in Australia
- DAZN annual subscription: $99.99 in the US, $150 in Canada
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Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez fight card
- Dmitry Bivol (c) vs. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez for the WBA light-heavyweight title.
- Chantelle Cameron (c) vs. Jessica McCaskill: IBF, WBC, WBA (vacant), WBO (vacant) super-lightweight titles.
- Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov vs. Zelfa Barrett: IBF super-featherweight title (vacant)
- Galal Yafai (c) vs. Gohan Rodriguez Garcia: WBC International flyweight title.
- Kal Yafai vs. Jerald Paclar: 10-round bantamweight contest
- Campbell Hatton bt. Denis Bartos: KO 1/6
- Aqib Fiaz bt. Diego Valiterra: UD 8
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