LOS ANGELES — Gilberto Ramirez's cruiserweight campaign has gotten off to a credible start.

After beating former light heavyweight beltholder Joe Smith Jr. in 2023, "Zurdo" Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) collected two of the division's crowns last year by beating reigning champions Arsen Goulamirian (WBA) and Chris Billam-Smith (WBO).

Each of the wins were unanimous decisions, and ahead of his Saturday night showdown against Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Ramirez and his team want to make a statement by scoring their first stoppage win as a cruiserweight.

"We haven't knocked out anyone at cruiserweight yet, and that's what we're trying to do,” Ramirez's trainer Julian Chua told The Ring in an interview. "Zurdo is going to stop him, but we have to follow the right protocols to get Dorticos out of there. Dorticos is dangerous, but if there is any bit of concession, I want Zurdo to press the button and get him out there once he smells blood. Zurdo doesn't feel pressure. He has ice in his veins."

Ramirez, a former titleholder at 168 pounds, demonstrated a killer instinct at 175 pounds during a 5-1 run that included stoppage wins in every fight against Tommy Karpency, Alfonso Lopez, Sullivan Barrera, Yuniesky Gonzalez, and Dominic Boesel. The only loss of his career came against Dmitry Bivol, and his light heavyweight run didn't yield a title.

The power-punching Cuban Dorticos has fallen short in each of his highest-profile fights, a 2018 stoppage loss to Murat Gassiev and a 2020 majority decision defeat against Mairis Briedis. At 39, this could very well be Dorticos' last shot at a title.

"We're prepared for the best version of Dorticos," said Chua. "Power is the last thing that goes from a fighter, and he has power. I see what he likes to do, and you need more than just power to deal with Zurdo. We have plans to take Dorticos' power away."

Ramirez, a 34-year-old from Mazatlan in Sinaloa, Mexico, welcomes a rematch against Bivol and has even entertained overtures from Jake Paul, but a fight against The Ring and IBF champion Jai Opetaia is more likely later this year should the Mexican star remain victorious.

"We want the legacy-defining fights," said Chua. "Zurdo is training extremely hard. I know how good he is, and he hasn't shown the world just how good he is yet. We will see an even better version of Zurdo against Dorticos. As the saying goes, it's harder to stay on top than getting to the top."