Now he is ready to move on with the next phase of his career when taking on fellow unbeaten contender Jonathan Kogasso on Saturday at Trinita d’Agultu e Vignola on the Sardinian island in Italy.

"We are very happy and grateful for this opportunity," Ramirez (12-0-2, 4 KOs) told The Ring. "We know we are facing a great opponent, and are confident it is going to be a great fight.

"Kogasso is a strong opponent with a lot of experience. We know the quality of fighter he is, and are preparing to face the best version of him."

Ramirez, who hails from the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires and works a day job as a street sweeper, claimed the top prize despite regularly being the much smaller man at last year's WBC showpiece event.

Over the course of five fights, his skills and cunning allowed him to take advantage against slower moving targets.

"It was an excellent experience and something very important for my career," said the 26-year-old.

"Everything we [he and his team] went through during the tournament helped me grow and develop as a fighter.

"We worked extremely hard together to win the Grand Prix. It was a difficult journey, but winning it was a dream come true for both me and my team. All the hard work and sacrifice paid off."

However, Ramirez feels more comfortable at a lighter weight.

"I think it will be similar, but now, fighting at [a lower weight], I will be able to take much more advantage of my speed and maintain a higher pace throughout the fight," he said. "I feel very comfortable in this division.

"My team and I work to be prepared for any type of fight and any opponent. We always want to fight the best. That is the only way to truly know where we stand and how far we can go."

Kogasso (19-0, 11 KOs) moved from his home in the Democratic of Congo with family due to conflict, settling in Italy when he was six years old.

He began his pro career in 2021 with mediocre early opposition, though has stepped things up with recent victories over Brandon Deslaurier (UD10) and previously unbeaten contender Ramazan Muslimov (UD12) on May 23.