Gilberto Ramirez Act Two in truTV headliner against Novoa

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Gilberto RamirezSuper middleweight Gilberto Ramirez will take on Juan Camilo Novoa in the main event of a Top Rank card on truTV, November 20th. The card will take place at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a step down from his last opponent Derek Edwards in June – the two fought under similar circumstances as they headlined a truTV card in Hidalgo, Texas.

Top Rank has big plans for Ramirez, and they are hoping that he will gain the support of boxing fans, specifically that of the Hispanic demographic. The undefeated Mexican already has 32 wins under his belt, but he has a limited resume to go along with his limited options at the weight class.

There are plenty of fighters for Ramirez to matchup against, but none that can catapult him into the stardom that Top Rank expects. For Ramirez to gain the notoriety that his handlers are hoping for, he has to string together some impressive victories against notable fighters. As it stands, Ramirez has failed to score a stoppage in his 2015 campaign. He has also failed to end up on the radar of any notable fighter in the weight class, although rumblings of a fight with Arthur Abraham surfaced earlier this year.

If that is Ramirez’s payoff, then he has some work to do. There are obvious flaws in his game and because of his inability to secure memorable wins lately he is getting to a point where something has to give.

The November 20th card will be solid because of the co-feature in Saul Rodriguez and Ivan Najera, which is a big step up for Rodriguez and a way for Najera to bounce back after suffering his first loss against Felix Verdejo.

Still, it is up to Ramirez to keep the spotlight on his outing as he heads into 2016. That is what this fight is all about because a win over Novoa does nothing for his career outside a spectacular “knockout of the year” highlight, which would only really serve to boost his highlight package in a bigger fight.

Ramirez has been on Spanish networks, he has been on HBO, and he is currently headlining his second truTV card, but if he wants to end up as one of boxing’s most notable Mexican fighters, somewhere in the realm of Canelo Alvarez, then he’ll need to force his way into the big fight. He needs the fans to step up for him, but they will only do that if he beats bigger names. The circumstances are obviously flawed.

This upcoming card won’t reveal a whole lot, and it certainly won’t place him in a better position – he is already in place to receive something next year. This fight is only to get him from one year to the next and to stay busy in between that time. The problem is he is nowhere near the Canelo stratosphere that some presumed he would be, and he is not currently on any trajectory that would suddenly land him there.

Exposure is important, but it is important to understand who he is currently being exposed to because Hispanic fans want action, and that is what he has to deliver on November 20th. His last outing, under similar circumstances, failed to captivate.

He will get a second chance to make right.