Rios vs. Alvarado in 2013
Brandon Rios (L) of the U.S. takes a punch from compatriot Mike Alvarado during a super lightweight bout for an interim 140lb WBO title at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada March 30, 2013. Alvarado won the fight by an unanimous decision. The fight was a rematch from an October 13, 2012 fight which Rios won. Reuters

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez from Mexico will battle in the biggest fight of his pro career when he takes on Maxim Vlasov from Russia in a 10-round light heavyweight match as the co-main event in the Mike Alvarado vs. Brandon Rios card in Denver on Jan. 24, 2015. The boxing event will be held at the 1stBank Centre in Broomfield, Colorado.

"I really appreciate Bob Arum, HBO and my team at Zapari Boxing for giving me this opportunity. I have been waiting so long for this caliber of fight," Ramirez said in an official press release from Top Rank Promotions. Vlasov has 30 wins in 31 pro fights with 15 coming by knockout. Ramirez also has 30 wins and has 24 knockouts but is undefeated since turning pro on August 2009. "Vlasov is the biggest test of my career. A victory over him will validate me as a worthy challenger for a world title. I promise to give the fans a very exciting fight on January 24."

"I box to live and I live to box. I want this victory very badly. This is my time and I am ready to prove it,”" Vlasov said also in the press release. Vlasov, who is from Samara, Russia has not been beaten in the last four years and 11-0 in this span. He’s inside the Top 10 best super middleweights in the world ranked sixth in the International Boxing Federation (IBF), ninth in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and tenth in the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings. Meanwhile, Ramirez has won his last four fights by Technical Knockout (TKO) over Don Mouton, Giovanni Lorenzo, Junior Talipeau and Fulgencio Zuniga.

Other fights aside rom the Alvarado-Rios and Ramirez-Vlasov match-ups is the Konstantin Ponomarev vs. Steve Claggett 10-round bout. Alvarado and Rios are meeting for the third time in their career with both fighters earning one victory each in their first two meetings. The upcoming fights will be aired over HBO Sports starting at 9:45 pm on fight day.

To contact author of this article, email j.gloria@IBTimes.com.au

RELATED STORIES