LAS VEGAS, NV (November 19, 2015) — Forget “Zurdo.” “Pressure” just became the new middle name for the “Mazatlan Mauler,” GILBERTO “Zurdo” RAMIREZ! Ramirez (32-0, 24 KOs), the No. 1 world-rated super middleweight contender from Mazatlan, Mexico with the matinee idol looks, will be risking his mandatory challenger position for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) world title when he defends his WBO International and NABF super middleweight titles against once-beaten GEVORG KHATCHIKIAN (23-1, 11 KOs), of the Netherlands, Friday night at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. As if that isn’t enough pressure, World Middleweight Champion and top-rated pound for pound fighter GENNADY GOLOVKIN will be sitting ringside on an advance scouting mission of Ramirez.
“Tom Loeffler and I have had several serious conversations about pitting these two undefeated warriors against each other next year,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “But it will only happen if Gilberto can win tomorrow night, thus preserving his mandatory challenge for the world title, and then beating WBO world champion Arthur Abraham. That’s a lot of pressure to put on most fighters’ shoulders but Gilberto seems to thrive on it. He has said all along that he only wants to fight the best, even if it means fighting Abraham and Golovkin back-to-back. That’s the same mindset great Mexican champions before him — the real Chavez, Morales, Barrera and Marquez — had and why they were, and are so popular.”
The Ramirez vs. Khatchikian 10-round super middleweight rumble will headline the Friday, November 20 edition of MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, which will be televised live on truTV, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with unbeaten contender SAÚL “Kid Dynamite” RODRÍGUEZ (18-0-1, 13 KOs), of Riverside, Calif., in a 10-round lightweight battle against IVAN “Bam Bam” NAJERA (16-1, 8 KOs), of San Antonio, TX. The live boxing series is presented by truTV and Top Rank® and produced in association with HBO Sports®. Find truTV at: http://trutvishere.com/.
Promoted by Top Rank and Zapari Boxing Promotions, remaining tickets to the Ramirez-Khatchikian championship boxing event, priced at $100, $85, $75, $50 and $40, are available for purchase at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.
For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo or www.twitter.com/truTV. Use the hashtag #truTVBoxing to join the conversation on Twitter.
For more information on The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, visit www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cosmopolitan_lv or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thecosmopolitan.
