Jesús Ramos is pushing to be the next boxing champion from Arizona, and he took a step in the right direction with Saturday night’s TKO of Vladimir Hernandez in the FOX Premier Boxing Champions Keith Thurman-Mario Barrios pay-per-view event at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Ramos, 20, let loose with a barrage of punches in the sixth round that rocked Hernandez and forced a stoppage of the fight.at the 2:21 mark. Ramos appeared to be winning regardless, but the Casa Grande native finished off his opponent,
Ramos landed a mighty jab to Hernandez’ head, then covered up well in the fifth round to keep Hernandez from hurting him. Ramos moved to 18-0 with 15 knockouts, and moved closer to top contender status in a division full of high quality fighters, super welterweights.
Ramos acknowledged the fans who traveled to see him fight with a smile and a raised fist.
Ramos was the only one of four Arizona-based fighters to leave the ring after having his hand raised in victory. In the fight immediately preceding the Thurman-Barrios tilt. Phoenix’s Keenan Carbajal, with the crowd clearly against him and chanting “Leo! Leo!” for super featherweight Leo Santa Cruz, went the full 10 rounds with the former multi-division champion, but lost on a unanimous decision.
“I was boxing him smartly and I wasn’t really looking for the knockout. He’s a tough, durable guy. I broke him down round by round, landing a clean shot that hurt him, so I got the job done,” Ramos said . “The plan was to knock him out. I wanted to make a statement, but we didn’t go in looking for it, just to dominate.”
Ramos has strung together some solid wins on TV or pay-per-view.
“We took Brian Mendoza in our last fight and now Vladimir Hernandez. Those are big names in this weight class. We want to build our resume, like Floyd Mayweather did,” Ramos said. “He had (Arturo) Gatti, (Diego) Corrales, (José Luis) Castillo and all the guys.”
Ramos knows bigger fights are coming.
“I want to earn my reputation. I’m not here to have Instagram followers. I’m here to make a statement in boxing,” he said. “I was happy to have so many Arizona fighters on this card, but before my fight we were 0-2 for Arizona. So I felt even more pressure to get a win for us. But I just had to be strong and focus on getting my job done and that’s what I did.”
Santa Cruz sustained a cut on his right eyelid in the second round, due to a headbutt, and had it checked a couple of times during the fight. He was too much for Carbajal (23-3-1) in a largely uneventful fight.
In the most high-profile fight of his career, Carbajal’s 18-fight winning streak came to an end.
“It’s a lot. We went 10 strong rounds. It was a hard fought fight. The scores were what they were, but I stood up to the challenge and I felt like I belonged,” Carbajal said. “I was up to the challenge. I backed Leo up, and nobody backs Leo up like that. He doesn’t back down against anybody.”
Carlos Castro of Phoenix entered the first fight of the pay-per-view undefeated at 27-0, but suffered his first loss after being knocked down by former champion Luis Nery in the first round of their super bantamweight bout.
Nery, who had held two WBC belts, finished off the eighth round with a combination of hooks, upper cuts and jabs that backed Castro against the ropes, and Castro had to be saved by the bell to end the round.
Castro didn’t go down again, but didn’t land enough big shots to win despite the judges calling the fight a split decision for Nery.
Castro had hoped a win would get him a major title shot.
“It was my mistake. I thought I could have won the fight but it’s boxing, part of the sport. I don’t take it as a loss. I take it as a learning experience,” Castro said. “The scores were fair. I have done enough to win. The first round shocked me. I wasn’t really hurt, it was more of a shock. I have connected with a good shot. It happens.”
Castro will spend time with family and think about what’s next for him.
Abel Ramos, uncle of Jesús, was the first fighter from Arizona in the ring Saturday, the welterweight’s bout televised live on FOX. Ramos staggered his opponent, Luke Santamaria, with a left hook, and in the third round, sent Santamaria’s mouth guard flying with hard right hook.
But Ramos (27-5-2) could not sustain the momentum, and Santamaria was the quicker fighter who landed punches and moved from the fourth until the 10th and final round.
The judges awarded a unanimous decision to Santamaria, which Ramos was unhappy about.
“I thought I was winning the whole fight, I thought I was putting the pressure with more stronger punches. But it is what it is,” Ramos said.
Ramos had spent much of his training camp preparing for a less mobile, more experienced and more stand-in-front fighter in Josesito Lopez. But Lopez bowed out due to injury.
Santamaria appeared to have faster hands and despite less power, bruised Ramos’ face and opened a cut near Ramos’ right eye.
“We were getting ready for pressure fighters and Santamaria is a total opposite. He moves more,” Ramos said. “I have to see the fight again. I thought I was bringing the fight to him.”
Get in touch with Jose Romero at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism