Former Unified Junior Welterweight Champion Jose Ramirez, earned a hard-fought triumph over former Lightweight belt holder Rances "Kid Blast" Barthelemy at the SaveMart Center, Fresno, California.
Ramirez now ( 29-1, 18Kos) was coming off a 13-month-long layoff: his last fight being an 11th-round knockout of former IBF Lightweight Champion from Ghana, Richard Commey.
The bout began on a blistering note with Ramirez nicknamed "Jaguar" resorting to his usual aggressive, kamikaze style; backing up Barthelemy in the early goings.
Barthelemy calmly settled in and found a home for his hard straight rights, which he landed in quick succession and had Ramirez in trouble in the first round and any time he landed the same throughout the bout.
One of those onslaughts in the opening round saw Ramirez visit the canvas but with Barthelemy (30-3-1) continuously hitting a grounded opponent, what seemed a legitimate knockdown was overlooked and a caution given by Referee Jack Reiss.
Performing before a rousing home crowd, Ramirez managed to weather the early storm and by persistently marching forward and applying pressure, he foiled the Cuban native's arsenal and took control of the bout.
The cards read: 110-118 and 109-119 twice, to hand the homeboy a well-deserved unanimous verdict.
Post-fight, the Avenal, California-born Ramirez, made known his quest for the mega bouts; stating that he hoped such a win would open doors to big fights as he's open to move up a higher weight class to secure one.
Meanwhile, Promoter Oscar De La Hoya had earlier hinted at Ramirez as a possible opponent for Ryan Garcia.
Samuel Opoku Amoah is a writer and boxing analyst for AceTVBoxing.com. He can be reached via email: samgolden715@gmail.com.
Be the First to Comment