Julian Chua is a former professional boxer turned coach who works at Brickhouse Boxing in Los Angeles. Chua is best known for his work with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, a 33-year-old Mexican boxer with a record of 47-1 (30 KOs) ). Ramirez is a former super middleweight titleholder who competed at light heavyweight under Amy Chua before moving up to lightweight, where he recently unified the titles with a victory over Chris Billam-Smith.
In this Q&A, Chua reflects on Ramirez’s development, loss to Dmitry Bivol, and his journey to becoming the unified lightweight champion.
Q: What changes did you make to Zurdo Ramirez’s fundamentals?
Cai: Zudo always has skills, but there are some areas we need to focus on improving. Basically, he used to punch too much and not take advantage of his long range. Top Rank even mentioned that he doesn’t fight like a “tall, tall fighter.” We’ve been working on making him more balanced – he’s no longer kneeling forward, and his punches are more compact. He now punches with his knuckles instead of his fingers, which had caused cuts. His power has also improved; he had stopped every light heavyweight contender before his fight with Dmitry Bivol, something he didn’t even do at super middleweight to this point.
Q: How did strength training affect his development?
Cai: He had never really lifted weights before and wasn’t that physically strong. Our strength coach Chris Wong does a great job. Zudo now has the physical tools to rival the lightweights. We’ve been trying to keep him grounded so he can hold his ground and fight back against opponents who want to overpower him. It helps him mentally, too – many opponents think he’s “small” but disrupt their game plans when they realize they can’t take him down.
Q: What tactical improvements has he made?
Cai: Zuldo’s standing in the ring has grown significantly. He knows better where he is and how to create effective angles. For example, he won’t do big spins on the ropes because that would give his opponent an escape route. Instead, he focused on maintaining control and attacking from vantage points. He also learned to limit long combos early in a fight and focus on breaking his opponent down with three or four punch combos before turning around to create angles.
Q: How did you adjust to his natural tendencies?
Cai: Zurdo has a natural tendency to throw long combinations, but he used to throw too much into it and stay in the pocket too long. Now, he knows when to step away and reposition himself for a follow-up attack. For example, he once fought back with a liver shot but left his head in the line of fire. We worked on getting his head off the center line to make the counter safer.
Q: What was your approach to researching Zudo combat?
Cai: Even before we started working together, I watched every second of his game. I study what he does well, what he could do better, and what combinations or matchups he naturally enjoys. From there, I tailor the training to enhance his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. I also showed him specific examples from his fights to explain why adjustments needed to be made, and he was an excellent student – he absorbed everything very quickly.
ask: What did you personally learn from the Battle of Bivol?
Cai: The biggest takeaway for me was seeing how Zudo handled the situation. Bivol was the highest level boxer Zudo had ever faced, and while Bivol won, he didn’t physically overpower Zudo. That’s huge. It’s almost like Zudo has gained another level of confidence because he realizes he belongs at the top. Bivol was considered a solid boxer, but he didn’t beat him up or anything like that. Don’t get me wrong – Bivol played well – but Zudo stood his ground and left the fight with that belief.
I also learned that optics are a huge part of this fight. Commentary and the extent to which public perception of what is going on can play an important role. For example, just because a commentator says, “Why doesn’t Zudo fight Mexican style – move on?” it makes the public think that if he doesn’t move on, then he loses.
ask: You mentioned Bivol’s style. What do you think of him as a fighter?
Cai: Bivol is great at what he does, but he’s not the type to adapt in a fight. He was a master of his method, and he stuck to it. He won’t fight suddenly like Pernell Whitaker or Chavez Sr. He won’t make dramatic adjustments. Instead, he excels at winning games with consistency and explosiveness.
ask: What else did you learn from that fight?
Cai: Absolutely. I learned a lot from that fight. I tend to overanalyze – taking responsibility for everything, even if it’s not entirely my responsibility. Does my voice sound right? My tone? Did I miss something? Bivol’s game against Zurdo was my first defeat since I took over as head coach in 2012, and it made me reflect deeply. But sometimes, you have to accept that the other person is better at night.
ask: What are your thoughts on a potential fight with Jai Opetaia?
Cai: We’re in this sport to see who’s the best, and I saw that Zurdo could do things that Opetaia hadn’t dealt with before. I’m sure the fight will happen at some point. But now, the next one we might face is our mandatory character Yunior Doticos. It’s not an easy fight – he’s older, but the last thing he has to do is throw a punch. As for Opetaia, he’s an incredible fighter – athletic, smart, and knows how to exploit his distance. Still, I see holes in his game that Zudo can exploit. When the time comes, I see Zurdo standing out.
ask: Opetaia’s tenacity and strength seem to be his greatest strengths, right?
Cai: Correct. Here’s another lesson I learned from the Bivol battle: Don’t base your game plan on assumptions without evidence. I’ve never seen Bivol look tired in a fight, but the hope is that he’ll burn out in the later rounds so Zudo can get a knockout. This was not a wise plan on my part and I will not repeat this mistake with someone like Opetaia. He had a broken jaw, so you knew his toughness was real.
But Zudo is a retro warrior – and he’s ready to die there if necessary. When this battle takes place, it will go down in history. Two of the best men in this era and this weight class are going head-to-head. This will be a legendary night.
