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In his first defense of the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight title, Gilberto Ramirez (47-1) will face veteran Yuniel Dorticos (27-2) on the Paul-Chavez Jr. undercard. It is time to continue our boxing odds series with a Gilberto Ramirez-Yuniel Dorticos prediction and pick.
Ramirez, 33, is coming off consecutive cruiserweight title wins over Chris Billam-Smith and Arsen Goulamirian. The win over Goulamirian made him a 200-pound champion, while the Billam-Smith victory gave him two belts. Now riding a three-fight win streak, Ramirez's only loss came against top-three pound-for-pound fighter Dmitry Bivol.
Dorticos, 39, is also riding a three-fight win streak into the bout. As a former divisional titleholder, Dorticos' career has been up-and-down in the last ten years, with his momentum constantly halted by heartbreaking losses. The Cuban returned from an 18-month-long layoff in June 2024 to pick up a first-round knockout win over Alan Campa.
Here are the Gilberto Ramirez-Yuniel Dorticos odds, courtesy of FanDuel
Boxing Odds: Gilberto Ramirez-Yuniel Dorticos Odds
Gilberto Ramirez: -1350
Yuniel Dorticos: +720
Over 10.5 Rounds: -125
Under 10.5 Rounds: -130
How to Watch Gilberto Ramirez vs. Yuniel Dorticos
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Co-main event ring walk (estimated): 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: DAZN PPV
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Why Gilberto Ramirez Will Win
There is nothing flashy about Ramirez, but he is an impenetrable beacon of consistency. The Mexican is as battle-tested as they come, bringing the same pressure and grit in every fight. His wins are not always clean, but Ramirez systematically breaks fighters down over 12 rounds more often than not.
At 39, Dorticos is clearly in the twilight of his career. Since losing to Mairis Briedis in September 2020, the former champion has been spoon-fed wins over three overwhelmed fighters clearly not on his level. Dorticos jumps right back into the deep end with this fight after not fighting in 11 months and competing just once since December 2022.
As a southpaw, Ramirez presents a unique challenge that Dorticos has not seen in his career. Dorticos has never faced a high-level southpaw opponent in his 16-year professional career. Dorticos is not the type of fighter who struggles with footwork or making in-fight adjustments, but modifying even the smallest portion of one's game against a pressure fighter like Ramirez can make the biggest difference.
Why Yuniel Dorticos Will Win
Dorticos is the veteran of this matchup and will be the bigger and longer fighter. Dorticos' 80-inch reach is five inches longer than Ramirez's, which is a factor the latter has not had to overcome too often. Ramirez spent most of his career at light heavyweight before moving up to cruiserweight to face Joe Smith Jr. in 2023. There will be a clear size discrepancy, as Dorticos, a career cruiserweight, would never be able to make 175 pounds.
Ramirez is always a fun fighter to watch, but he is not perfect. The champion focuses much more on his offense than defense, constantly leaving himself open to counters and return attacks. Ramirez is the type of fighter who wants to brawl and outlast his opponent, rather than the type of technician who avoids getting hit. Ramirez has never been knocked out, but with his defensive deficiencies, a fighter with a 93 percent knockout rate like Dorticos could feasibly find the button.
Ramirez is the type of fighter who is a boulder rolling downhill and gets better as the fight progresses. Aside from an elite champion like Bivol, his opponent has to clip him early go beat him. Dorticos is coming off three straight knockout wins within the first three rounds and has the ability to find his chin early.
Final Gilberto Ramirez-Yuniel Dorticos Prediction & Pick
Dorticos has the championship experience and knockout power to potentially get the job done, but this is Ramirez's fight to lose. The defending champion is on this card for a reason, as a cruiserweight titleholder whom Paul could potentially chase. Dorticos has done nothing but face struggling regional-level boxers over the last four years ahead of this matchup with Ramirez, who presents arguably his worst stylistic matchup.
Both Ramirez and Dorticos bring pressure, but the former supplements his movement with much more volume and aggression. Dorticos is significantly less effective fighting off his back foot, which is where Ramirez will force him. The Cuban might be able to meet his intensity for the first few rounds, but Ramirez never lets off the pressure and will increase the pace as the fight goes along. Dorticos has not had to fight into the later rounds often, but tends to fade whenever he does.
At 39, it is possible Dorticos fades to the point of getting stopped by the relentless Ramirez. However, his chin has typically held up, ceding just one knockout loss in his career. In the only fight Dorticos got finished, Murat Gassiev enticed the stoppage in the final 10 seconds of the fight. Otherwise, Dorticos has been gritty and competitive enough to finding himself in compromising positions.
Final Gilberto Ramirez-Yuniel Dorticos Prediction & Pick: Gilberto Ramirez by Decision (+130)
