Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez suggested that his future opponent Gabriel Rosado has been boxing for too long.
The pair of them fight live on DAZN on March 18, as Mexico goes head-to-head with Puerto Rico.
Ramirez is coming off the back of a light heavyweight defeat to WBA champion Dmitri Bivol, and 37-year-old Rosado hopes to extend his already lengthy career by moving up the scales.
Rosado and Ramirez know one another from sparring together over the years, with Rosado using Ramirez to prepare for his famous win over Bektemir Melikuziev in 2021.
Rosado has three consecutive defeats since then, the last coming against Ali Akhmedov in September last year.
Both Zurdo and ‘Scrappy’ Ramirez attended Saturday’s DAZN clash between Luis Nery and Azat Hovhannisyan, and they discussed the upcoming fight with Rosado.Zurdo said: “I respect Gabriel Rosado because I know him, I grew up watching him, he’s been too long in boxing but it will be a good fight.
“He’s a warrior and I’m expecting the best always.
“I’ve been in Dubai, all over the world, I’ve been happy, I’ll come back strong. I learn, it’s a lesson, all the time.
“I’m back stronger. I will become a two-time world champion. I’m proud of myself.
“I feel like hunger in myself, I want to prove myself.”
Scrappy backed his colleague, adding: “Scrappy: It’s a lesson, he’s taking the lesson and he's getting tight and getting strong.”