Notebook: Ramirez back in business with decision over Pedraza following title loss

Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Torrez scores KO in pro debut; nominees set for BWAA awards; sanctioning body policies toward Russian boxers; Quick hits; Show and tell

Mar 05, 2022

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Former unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez may have lost his belts in his last fight but he put himself right back in the title picture on Friday night.

Ramirez shook off his first professional defeat with a workmanlike unanimous decision win over former two-division titlist Jose “Sniper” Pedraza in a WBC title elimination bout before 8,120 in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Last May 22 in Las Vegas, Ramirez lost his two 140-pound belts by close decision to fellow unified titleholder Josh Taylor in a fight for the undisputed championship. Taylor scored two knockdowns that were the difference between a draw and his 114-112 win on all three scorecards. In Ramirez’s first fight since, and returning to box at home in front of his California Central Valley fans, he beat Pedraza 116-112 on all three scorecards.

Ramirez controlled the fight all the way except for two or three rounds in the middle of the fight, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 5 but postponed because Pedraza came down with Covid-19.

“Jose Pedraza is a smart, experienced fighter,” Ramirez said. “He was going to find a way to survive and put up a fight and he was there boxing, still pushing toward the end of the fight, so my hat’s off to him and his team. He was well prepared. It was a great fight. I got to see where I’m at right now.

“I got see what I got to improve. It was a little tense coming into this fight because, obviously (losing) my last fight and fighting at home. Last minute, I got a little more tense than I thought I would be, but I went out there and just boxed and had fun in there. I played it smart. I used my jab and I think I won more than eight rounds.”

Ramirez started fast by working his jab and landing to Pedraza’s body in the first round to set the tone for the bout.

He buzzed Pedraza with a right hand to the head late in the fourth round and followed up with a few more punches that connected. By the end of the fifth round, Pedraza’s right eye was swelling and had a big purple bruise under it.

Former lightweight and junior lightweight world titlist Pedraza (29-4, 14 KOs), 32, of Puerto Rico, found success in the seventh and eighth rounds, including landing a hard left hand to the chin that stunned Ramirez. But he quickly shook it off and seemed to find a second wind that carried him to the end of the fight.

“I had to push it a little more and let him know I had an extra gear,” Ramirez said. “Once he saw that I had the extra gear he went back to respecting me and I took control of the fight again.”

Ramirez (27-1, 17 KOs), 29, of nearby Avenal, California, had one of his best rounds in the 12th, landing a pair of hard right hands to close it out and snap Pedraza’s three-fight winning streak.

“There were two rounds that I slowed down in a little bit but there were punches I was blocking, I was working on my defense, working on things that I needed to do,” Ramirez said of his mid-fight lull. “But it was a great fight. It’s always an honor for me to fight here in my hometown, the Central Valley. This is my home, these are my people and they motivate me.”

According to CompuBox statistics, Ramirez landed 133 of 554 punches (24 percent) and Pedraza landed 110 of 586 (19 percent). Ramirez outlanded Pedraza 28-14 in the final two rounds.

After Taylor defended the undisputed title by controversial split decision over Jack Catterall last week, he said he was probably going to move up to welterweight. If he makes the likely move it means his four title belts will become vacant and Ramirez will be in prime position to fight for one of them. Ramirez said he does not want to move up to welterweight until he wins another junior welterweight title.

“Against anybody at 140,” Ramirez said about what he wanted next. “I’m gonna go back and work, stay focused, stay active. That’s one thing that’s affected me these last couple of years. I’ve trained so many times for a little bit of fights. My inactivity, my discouragement throughout training camps, it really took a big toll on me.

“I’m ready to stay active and stay motivated because there are a lot of good fighters coming up to 140 and there’s a lot of great fighters at 140 right now, so I would love to face all of them.”

Torrez wins pro debut by KO

In the Ramirez-Pedraza co-feature, heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr., who claimed the super heavyweight silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics this past summer to culminate an amateur career in which he went 154-10, scored a second-round knockout in his professional debut.

The 22-year-old Torrez, a southpaw from nearby Tulare, California, dropped Allen Melson twice en route to winning a brief brawl but suffered a bloody cut from an accidental head butt late in the first round.

“After the cut, I knew I had to get back to basics, and that’s what I did,” Torrez said. “I made sure to avoid additional head clashes, and I got the job done in the second. Sure, the cut is frustrating, but I’m not going to let it ruin the celebration. What a night. It was everything I’d hoped it would be.”

Torrez, with the crowd cheering him on, drove Melson to the mat with a series of shots with about 40 seconds left in the first round. With about 15 seconds left, Melson went down again but referee Marcos Rosales ruled it a slip, but the ringside personnel thought the fight was over and the inspectors and doctor climbed into the ring before being shooed away.

Torrez dropped Melson again in the second round in which they brawled wildly. Moments later, Torrez nailed him with a left hand on the chin and Melson went down again, prompting Rosales to wave off the fight at 1 minute, 23 seconds.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Torrez said. “I wanted to make a good first impression, especially in front of my home fans. They brought the energy, and I fed off the energy they gave me. The Central Valley is home, and I am proud to represent my people.”

Melson (6-4, 3 KOs), 29, of Houston, had his six-fight winning streak end.

In another undercard fight, former two-time featherweight title challenger Joet Gonzalez (25-2, 15 KOs), 28, of Los Angeles, who recently signed with Top Rank, stopped former junior featherweight title challenger Jeo Santisima (21-4, 18 KOs), 25, of the Philippines, in the ninth round of what had been a competitive fight. But Gonzalez was breaking Santisima down and after the eighth round referee Edward Collantes went to the corner and told him he was not going to let him take much more, and when Gonzalez rocked him with a right hand in the ninth round he waved it off at 2 minutes, 5 seconds.

Gonzalez bounced back from a grueling decision loss challenging WBO featherweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete in October.

BWAA awards nominees

The Boxing Writers Association of America has released its ballot for the 2021 awards in seven categories. The winners will be honored a banquet later in the year.

The nominees:

Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year: Canelo Alvarez, Nonito Donaire, Stephen Fulton, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Josh Taylor.

Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier Fight of the Year: Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III, George Kambosos Jr.-Teofimo Lopez, Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano, Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez II, Stephen Fulton-Brandon Figueroa

Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year: Eddy Reynoso, Carlos Castano, Javiel Centeno, Ben Davison, Anatoly Lomachenko

Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year: Eddy Reynoso, Luis DeCubas Jr., Rachel Donaire, Rick Mirigian

John McCain & Bill Crawford award for courage in overcoming adversity: Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Brian Custer, Ryan Garcia, Gary Russell Sr., Jose Santa Cruz Sr.

Barney Nagler Long and Meritorious Service award: Michael Buffer, Bob Duffy, Scott Ghertner, Henry Hascup, James “Smitty” Smith

Marvin Kohn Good Guy award: Jose Ramirez, David Diamante, Anthony Dirrell, Omar Juarez, Xavier Porter (posthumous)

Organizations on Russia

The sanctioning organizations have released their stands on dealing with Russian boxers given the country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

The WBC, WBO and IBF issued a joint statement making their position clear and making “an urgent plea to cease fire.”

The statement read: “The WBC, WBO and IBF join the sports world in an urgent plea to cease fire and end the war in Ukraine, with the invasion from Russia. Effective today (March 1), our organizations will not certify any championship fights involving boxers from Russia and Belarus. We will constantly monitor ongoing developments, hoping this situation is resolved soon, to reestablish normal life and activity.

“The boxing world is united for peace, the sports world is united for peace and rejects any form of war. Innocent lives are being lost and soldiers are dying from Ukraine and Russia. May God help to bring peace to our world.”

The WBA did not join with them and issued its own “in its support for peace and the cessation of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.”

It outlined the organization’s policy:

1. The WBA will exclude Russian and Belarusian boxers from the next ranking lists. The measure is temporary and will be reviewed month by month. Current world or regional champions will maintain their status, and this will also be subject to review.

2. We reaffirm the non-sanctioning of world and/or regional title bouts in Russia.

3. Russian and Belarusian officials will also be banned from participating in world and/or regional championship fights, according to a resolution from the WBA Executive Committee.

4. Russian fighters will not be allowed to enter the ring with their flag, their anthem will not be played and the country will not be named.

5. Promoters or teams of Russian boxers who violate this provision may be sanctioned.

6. WBA reserves the right to exclude from its rankings boxers who are in favor of the war.

7. All measures shall be applied to Belarus.

8. All managers, promoters, trainers affiliated to the WBA will, to the best of their ability, seek mediation mechanisms for peace.

9. WBA will launch a campaign for peace.

Quick hits

Weights from San Diego for Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN: Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez 114.8 pounds, Julio Cesar Martinez 116.4 (1.4 pounds overweight); Mauricio Lara 126, Emilio Sanchez 126; Angel Fierro 134.6, Juan Carlos Burgos 134.2; Souleymane Cissokho 153.8, Roberto Valenzuela Jr. 154; Marc Castro 134.8, Julio Madera 134.4; Diego Pacheco 170, Genc Pllana 171; Skye Nicolson 129, Jessica Juarez 129; Anthony Herrera 118.6, Jose Toribio 118.2; Fernando Angel Molina 139.6, Angel Aispuro 139.8.

Per the California State Athletic Commission, here are the official contract purses for Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN: Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez $725,000, Julio Cesar Martinez $250,000 (but he was fined 20 percent for being overweight — $50,000, half of which goes to Gonzalez and half to the commission); Mauricio Lara $125,000, Emilio Sanchez $50,000; Angel Fierro $30,000, Juan Carlos Burgos $25,000; Souleymane Cissokho $37,500, Roberto Valenzuela Jr. $15,000; Fernando Angel Molina $2,500, Angel Aispuro $6,000; Diego Pacheco $20,000, Genc Pllana $11,000; Marc Castro $14,000, Julio Madera $3,250; Skye Nicolson $7,425, Jessica Juarez $4,000; Anthony Herrera $5,000, Jose Toribio $4,000.

Per the CSAC, here are the official contract purses for Friday night’s Top Rank on ESPN+ card: Jose Ramirez $1 million (but he was guaranteed millions more), Jose Pedraza $250,000; Richard Torrez Jr. $10,000, Allen Melson $7,200; Joet Gonzalez $60,000, Jeo Santisima $7,500; Gabriel Flores Jr. $25,000, Abraham Montoya $25,000; Hector Tanajara $17,500, Miguel Contreras $17,500; Karlos Balderas $13,000, Aelio Mesquita $1,500; Javier Martinez $6,000, Donte Stubbs $6,000; Charlie Sheehy $4,000, Johnny Bernal $2,500; Antonio Mireles $4,000, Brandon Hughes $4,500.

Former two-time super middleweight titlist David Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs), 25, of Phoenix, and former middleweight titleholder David Lemieux (43-4, 36 KOs), 33, of Montreal, have been set for awhile to meet in May for the WBC interim super middleweight title in Phoenix in a Showtime-televised main event, but now they have a date. The fight will take place on May 21, a source with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite on Friday. The winner will be a potential opponent for undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez next year.

The WBA on Friday notified via email all of its registered promoters that it has scheduled a purse bid for the fight between WBA “regular” heavyweight titlist Trevor Bryan (22-0, 15 KOs) and mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois (17-1, 16 KOs). It is scheduled for March 14 via video conference at 10 a.m. ET, although the sides could still make a deal before then. The minimum bid is $1 million. Bryan is entitled to 55 percent of the winning bid and Dubois 45 percent. There is a $15,000 fee to participate in the bidding and the winning promoter must deposit 10 percent of the bid with the WBA within 24 hours.

Show and tell

Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is the consensus pound-for-pound king and boxing’s biggest star. It’s a position he earned with a strong resume against a who’s who of his time, world titles in four weight classes and numerous blockbuster events. When he was on the way up, Alvarez was considered an excellent prospect, but who knew he would stamp himself as a future Hall of Famer and be in the conversation for the best ever from Mexico? In 2010, he began to live up to the hype when he handily defeated a pair of former world titleholders in back-to-back fights. He drilled former welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in the sixth round in his second fight in the United States and followed with a near-shutout of former junior welterweight titlist Lovemore Ndou in Mexico.

Those wins set the 20-year-old Alvarez up for his first shot at a world title when he met Matthew Hatton (Ricky’s younger brother) for the vacant WBC junior middleweight belt in an HBO main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and he won by shutout decision. All three judges scored it 119-108 for Canelo, who lost a point for a hitting on the break in the seventh round but nonetheless claimed his first title. The fight was on March 5, 2011 — 11 years ago on Saturday. Here is a very limited HBO poster from the fight in my collection.

Ramirez-Pedraza and Torrez photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Gonzalez-Martinez photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing

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