Mairis Briedis vs. Gilberto Ramirez - IBF Purse Bids

[Ruthless-RKO]

Mairis Briedis eyes off vacant title shot against Gilberto Ramirez

The promoter of former cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis 28-2 (20) says the 38-year-old Latvian veteran will now target the vacant IBF title after Ring Magazine champion Jai Opetaia 23-0 (18) relinquished the red belt.

Australian southpaw Opetaia, 28, resigned as IBF champion yesterday after the New Jersey-based sanctioning body insisted he face Briedis in a rematch next. Briedis was reportedly unable to fight as he is still recovering from an undisclosed injury.

Opetaia was already scheduled to face Britain’s Ellis Zorro 17-0 (7) on the blockbuster ‘Day of Reckoning’ card at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. The bout will still proceed with just the prestigious Ring Magazine title on the line.

Briedis lost the IBF title to Opetaia by unanimous decision in July last year. He was reportedly fine with the champion facing Zorro next, providing he got first shot at the winner.

Instead, it looks like he will face Mexican southpaw Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez 45-1 (30) next year for the vacant belt instead.

“Briedis will fight for the vacant title, most likely against Ramirez,” Briedis’s promoter Kalle Sauerland told ProBox TV. “If I am not mistaken he is next in the rankings, which is a blockbuster as well.

“Mairis really wanted to fight Opetaia again. If you look back at that fight, it is the tale of two cities. You have the first half where Opetaia breaks Briedis down on the back foot, breaks his nose.

“Then Briedis gets over his jet lag in the second half, smashing him, pulverises him from pillar to post. He carried him, if he took a step back he would have gone down for 20 not for 10. It was a fantastic fight, they left everything in that ring. I would have loved to have seen it again. In fact, a lot of people haven’t seen that fight.

“People say Mairis is old. Well, the old fella had the young fella in the second half of the fight, it wasn’t the other way around.

“That fight really needs to be made, whether it’s for a title in the future or for whatever it is, we want to do that fight again before it is too late.

“But Ramirez is fantastic as well, he’s a great fighter. I have an open account with him because he beat Arthur Abraham at super middleweight three or four years ago. It was one of Arthur’s last fights. We have to get some revenge there from our team. It is Mairis who is the man to do that.”

Sauerland denied talk that Briedis is injured and said he is in the gym right now.

“He is in training,” he added. “I think a lot of people are putting rumours out there that he is injured, this, that and the other. I think also because they saw a different opponent named and stuff like that, but he actually sent me a sparring video yesterday. He looks terrific, he is raring to go to get a fourth world title.”

[margaret thatcher]

a few years ago briedis, but with age, injury, and inactivity he's prob there for the taking tbh

[gregregegg]

Still feels like a horrible fumble from Jai. Might need a mando (bad split) to regain belts… who’s going to give him a voluntary? Even if they do they will fornicate him on their split there too.

Could have fought briadis in Aus for good money, then gone on with hunting unifications or money fights.

I’m sure ed has talked him into it saying big fights will be there for him, but I have a bad feeling ed won’t be able to deliver him with much in 2024. (Hope I’m wrong)

[bogan whisperer]

Opetaia has a three fight Saudi deal and is making something like $680k for the Zorro fight alone. He says he will make in excess of $2 million for the three fights and not sure he cares too much about belts with that kind of life changing money on the table.

[gregregegg]

Opetaia has a three fight Saudi deal and is making something like $680k for the Zorro fight alone. He says he will make in excess of $2 million for the three fights and not sure he cares too much about belts with that kind of life changing money on the table.

Is that deal still locked without the belt?

Because the 2nd fight in the deal was brides for the belt…. Briedis is going to want a different deal if he is bringing the belt to the fight rather than chalanging for the belt.

If he is getting 2 million, they keep him active then fair enough.

[bogan whisperer]

Opetaia is of the belief the deal isn't reliant on the belt and looking at the fights this weekend and what might follow the Saudis don't seem to be placing too much emphasis on belts.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Purse bids are set for Jan 16th

[omalley]

Opetaia has a three fight Saudi deal and is making something like $680k for the Zorro fight alone. He says he will make in excess of $2 million for the three fights and not sure he cares too much about belts with that kind of life changing money on the table.

$680k AUD, $2 million AUD.

[omalley]

They say WBC, WBA are a joke. IBF isn't any better. Gilberto Ramirez did nothing at CW, nothing.

[Ruthless-RKO]

IBF Schedules Jan. 16 Purse Bid For Vacant Cruiserweight Title Fight

Mairis Briedis and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will soon learn their fate.

Boxing Scene has confirmed that the IBF has scheduled a January 16 purse bid hearing to determine promotional rights for the ordered vacant cruiserweight title fight. Briedis’ team requested an immediate purse bid hearing in lieu of a negotiation period, shortly after both parties were contacted on December 20 to enter talks.

Per IBF Rule 9C, Briedis and Ramirez are now required to honor the ordered fight and purse bid hearing to avoid disciplinary action handed down by the sanctioning body. Any fighter who abandons the purse bid process or does not honor the outcome will receive a demotion in the rankings plus a six-month probation period where they cannot participate in an IBF-sanctioned fight.

The title became available when Sydney’s Jai Opetaia opted to move forward with his December 23 bout versus unranked Ellis Zorro in lieu of a mandatory title defense. Opetaia (24-0, 19KOs) was previously ordered to face Briedis (28-2, 20KOs) in what would have been a rematch to their July 2022 thriller, won by Opetaia via unanimous decision to claim the IBF title.

Brieidis has not fought since that night, but managed to elevate to the mandatory position after Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe were demoted for failure to proceed with title fights versus Opetaia.

Mexico’s Ramirez (45-1, 30KOs) has fought just once at cruiserweight and not even at the full limit. However, his ten-round win over former WBO light heavyweight titlist Joe Smith Jr. last October was enough to enter the rankings in a lofty enough position to land a title fight at a third weight.

Ramirez previously held the WBO super middleweight title from April 2016 through his December 2018 repeat win over Jesse Hart, after which point he campaigned at light heavyweight. Five wins followed as he advanced to the top of the WBA light heavyweight rankings. He suffered a lopsided defeat to defending WBA titlist Dmitry Bivol in November 2022, and has fought just once since then in the win over Smith in a bout contracted for 193 pounds.

Briedis will attempt to become a four-time cruiserweight titlist.

He won his first belt in an April 2017 unanimous decision over Marco Huck to claim the vacant WBC title. Just one successful defense followed before he lost to Oleksandr Usyk in the semifinal round of the World Boxing Super Series season one cruiserweight tournament.

Briedis returned to the series for season two, which he won outright. He claimed the WBO cruiserweight title along the way in a controversial third-round knockout of Krzysztof Glowacki.

Their June 2019 WBSS semifinal was presented to the WBO in a protest filed by Glowacki, who successfully lobbied for an immediately ordered rematch. Briedis instead relinquished his belt given his contracted commitment to the tournament, which he won along with the IBF belt in a September 2020 decision victory over Yuniel Dorticos.

His third reign ended with the defeat to Opetaia, who only defended his title once. It came in a September 30 fourth-round knockout of England’s Jordan Thompson at OVO Arena Wembley. The bout was an approved voluntary defense, ironically due to Briedis not being ready in time to accept the fight as he was healing from an injury.

The win over Thompson was immediately followed by direct instructions issued to Opetaia to enter negotiations for an ordered rematch versus Brieidis. The two sides failed to reach terms, which prompted the IBF to schedule a November 21 purse bid hearing.

As previously reported by Boxing Scene, the session was canceled after it was learned that Opetaia would land on the December 23 Riyadh card. Briedis—a former three-time cruiserweight titlist— agreed to not object to the fight but who fully expected the mandatory to still take place within the IBF’s imposed deadline.

It proved moot, as Opetaia was never approved to next face Zorro (17-0, 7KOs), an unbeaten but unproven contender who is currently not ranked among the IBF’s Top 15 contenders. That distinction was not factored into the decision made by the IBF championship committee, whose instructions were direct and clear—follow orders or give up the crown.

Opetaia agreed to give up the crown for the considerably more lucrative offer to fight Zorro on the Day of Reckoning card as part of a multi-fight deal. Opetaia won via first-round knockout to defend his lineal championship and Ring Magazine title.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Belts are so meaningless..

if god fights are ordered, then fair enough..

[omalley]

Belts are so meaningless..

if god fights are ordered, then fair enough..

Belts are not meaningless if there are good titleholders and decent challengers, who went through eliminators.
Neither Mairis Briedis vs Gilberto Ramirez, nor Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro are good fights.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Belts are so meaningless..

if god fights are ordered, then fair enough..

Belts are not meaningless if there are good titleholders and decent challengers, who went through eliminators.
Neither Mairis Briedis vs Gilberto Ramirez, nor Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro are good fights.

They're not the dogs bollocks either..

We get plenty of good fights are non-title fights too.

[omalley]

Belts are so meaningless..

if god fights are ordered, then fair enough..

Belts are not meaningless if there are good titleholders and decent challengers, who went through eliminators.
Neither Mairis Briedis vs Gilberto Ramirez, nor Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro are good fights.

They're not the dogs bollocks either..

We get plenty of good fights are non-title fights too.

Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro was a complete utter useless mismatch.
Mairis Briedis vs Gilberto Ramirez is so-so, half-decent fight, but it's not acceptable as a title fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Belts are not meaningless if there are good titleholders and decent challengers, who went through eliminators.
Neither Mairis Briedis vs Gilberto Ramirez, nor Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro are good fights.

They're not the dogs bollocks either..

We get plenty of good fights are non-title fights too.

Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro was a complete utter useless mismatch.
Mairis Briedis vs Gilberto Ramirez is so-so, half-decent fight, but it's not acceptable as a title fight.

Yeh, no excuse for Jai-Zorro.

Briedis is getting on now.. This is just a way of getting the belt on Zurdo.

[gregregegg]

Mabey Briadis is getting old but he is still one hell of a fighter (was still last time we saw him).

Everyone is hyping Jai, and fair enough, but briadis broke his jaw and won the back half of the fight. Pretty impressive showing.

He is also a solid cruiser, use to fighting big boys, that’s a bit new for Gilbert who has never fought at 200lb and never fought a real cruiserweight befor.

This isn’t an elite elite title fight but it’s. Solid one and defiantly not just handing a belt to someone. I have it a true 50-50, has age got briadis, is Gilbert going to handle proper big boys.

[Sweet Dick Willie]

I think this is a great fight