LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (October 5, 2023) – Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) of Mazatlán, Mexico and Joe “Common Man” Smith Jr. (28-4, 22 KOs) of Long Island, New York hosted a press conference today ahead of their WBA Cruiserweight Eliminator match. Scheduled for 10-rounds, the fight night, presented in collaboration with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, will take place live from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and live around the world on DAZN beginning at 5:00 p.m. PT.
The undercard of Zurdo vs. Smith Jr. was also on hand to promote their upcoming fights. As co-main event, Bektemir “The Bully” Melikuziev (12-1, 9 KOs) of Shoimbek, Uzbekistan, who also proudly represents Indio, California, will face Upper Marlboro, Maryland’s Alantez “SlyAza” Fox (28-4-1, 13 KOs). “The Bully” will defend his WBA Intercontinental Super Middleweight Title in a 10-round fight. Darius “DFG” Fulghum (7-0, 7 KOs) will fight Alan Campa (18-8, 12 KOs) of Guaymas, Mexico in an eight-round light heavyweight bout. Opening the broadcast, Fort Lauderdale’s Eric Tudor (9-0, 6 KOs) will participate in an eight-round super welterweight fight against Jose Sanchez (13-3-1, 4 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
On the preliminary undercard Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (11-1, 8 KOs) of Carlton, Texas will face Aaron “Ghozt Mas” Casper (7-4-2, 5 KOs) of Augusta, Georgia in an eight-round cruiserweight fight. Daniel “Ikaika” Luna (3-0, 3 KOs) will hope to repeat history with a four-round super lightweight fight against Erick Benitez (4-5, 1 KO) of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Also part of the preliminaries, in an eight-round junior middleweight fight is Star Boxing’s Jahyae “Golden Child Brown (13-1 9KO’s), who will face off against Youngstown, Ohio’s Victor Toney (7-2-1 6KO’s). Also on the undercard is Star Boxing’s undefeated, New Jersey prospect, Rajon “Picasso” Chance (8-0-1 6KO’s), who will measure up in an eight-round featherweight fight against Orlando Perez Zapata (13-0 9KO’s) of Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic.
Here’s what some of today’s participants had to say:
GILBERTO “ZURDO” RAMIREZ, FORMER WORLD CHAMPION:
“Thank you everyone for being here. I want to thank God for this. I am blessed to be here. Thank you Golden Boy, and Joe Smith for taking the fight. The first time I fought in Las Vegas was at the Cosmopolitan and I want to repeat what happened last time and have my hand lifted in the air in victory.”
JOE SMITH JR., FORMER WORLD CHAMPION:
“Like I said, I’m glad to be back. I’d like to thank Golden Boy Promotions and Star Boxing for this opportunity. Looking forward to this Saturday. Thank you Zurdo for this opportunity. This weekend, I’m looking to make another statement.”
BEKTEMIR MELIKUZIEV, WBA INTERCONTINENTAL SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER:
“I am super happy to be back on a great card against a very good opponent. I want to thank my promoter, Golden Boy, and my team for making this happen. One thing I can promise you for sure is that you won’t want to miss this fight.”
ALANTEZ FOX, SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT FIGHTER:
“First and foremost I want to thank God for blessing me. I want to thank my fans watching from home. I also want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for this opportunity. I can’t wait for Saturday, this is my season.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY:
“Welcome to my new home here in Las Vegas! I’m very excited to be showcasing this amazing card and this is what I’m talking about when working with other promoters.”
“When you have a former world champion — the first 168-pound Mexican champion of the world and you have Joe Smith Jr., the common man who comes to fight and is a legend killer fighting the likes of Bernard Hopkins and more — this has the makings of a great fight.”
“From top to bottom we have an amazing fight card. We’re showcasing the young talents and the must-watch prospects.”
BERNARD HOPKINS, PARTNER OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
“We’re closing out 2023 and entering 2024 on a high. We have these two, credible fighters ready to put on a show for everyone.”
JOE DE GUARDIA, FOUNDER AND CEO OF STAR BOXING:
“It’s certainly special to be here for a fight like this because these are both two guys that really have to put everything on the line. Two former World Champions fighting each other, and both of them are stepping up taking this real challenge.”
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Zurdo vs. Smith Jr. is a 10-round cruiserweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Star Boxing. The event will be available worldwide to all subscribers on DAZN, both live and on demand.
Tickets for Zurdo vs. Smith Jr. are priced at $200, $150, $100 and $50 plus applicable fees. A limited amount of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available for purchase with exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades included. Standard and VIP tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or GoldenBoyPromotions.com.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.StarBoxing.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @StarBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy, www.facebook.com/StarBoxing and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy, @StarBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #ZurdoSmith
