Gilberto Ramirez ruled out for five months
Thursday 7 July 2016 10:39, UK
WBO world super-middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez will be forced to take a five-month break from boxing due to a hand injury.
The Mexican southpaw (34-0-KO24) won his title with a shutout points victory over Arthur Abraham in Las Vegas in April but may not be able to defend it until next year.
"Gilberto Ramirez sustained an injury to the third knuckle of his right hand after a punch to the head of his sparring partner," Dr. Steven Shin said to ESPN.com.
"I examined Gilberto and ordered an MRI which revealed a complete tear of the ulnar sagittal band at the third metacarpophalangeal joint (knuckle) of his right hand, a region of the hand that is commonly injured in boxers.
"Gilberto will undergo surgery this Friday for repair of this injury. We anticipate that the soonest he will be able to fight competitively will be in approximately five months."
Ramirez had been training for a scheduled clash with Germany's Dominik Britsch (32-2-1-KO11).
