Podcast: Jesus Ramos interview; previewing Lopez-Gonzalez

Plus: Look at Zepeda-Gesta; Stevenson-De Los Santos deal; Ryan Garcia latest; Mayweather-Canelo, De La Hoya-Vargas, Whitaker-Chavez anniversaries

Junior middleweight Jesus Ramos

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There are plenty of fights this weekend and we previewed the two most notable, the Top Rank/ESPN card on Friday night headlined by IBF featherweight titlist Luis Alberto Lopez’s defense against Joet Gonzalez and the Golden Boy/DAZN card on Saturday night headlined by lightweight contender William Zepeda against Mercito Gesta. There is also my interview with junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos ahead of his pivotal fight with Erickson Lubin in the co-feature of the Canelo Alvarez-Jermell Charlo pay-per-view. We also covered the top news items of the week and looked back on three notable anniversaries.

Here is what’s on the show (in order):

• A deal being made for Shakur Stevenson and Edwin De Los Santos to fight for the vacant WBC lightweight title on Nov. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas following Frank Martin’s decision to pull out over money.

• Preview of Lopez’s defense against Gonzalez, who is getting his third title shot, in what figures to be a highly entertaining battle. Also some thoughts on an undercard that features several up-and-coming fighters, including junior middleweight Zander Xayas.

• Preview of Zepeda’s fight with former title challenger Gesta and what to look for on the undercard.

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• Preview of the world title doubleheader that will take place on Monday in Tokyo, where unified junior flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji will defend against former titleholder Hekkie Budler and Junto Nakatani will defend the WBO junior bantamweight title against Argi Cortes on ESPN+.

• My interview with the unbeaten up-and-comer Ramos. We discussed what it means to him that PBC continues to place him in the co-feature of major PPV events; whether he considers himself a prospect still or a contender; what a win over Lubin would mean; what coming from a boxing family has meant for his development; more.

• The strength of the Canelo-Charlo Showtime PPV undercard.

• The fall plans for the return of Ryan Garcia and working on the event with Golden Boy despite the lawsuit going on between them.

• Ringside memories on the 21st anniversary of the huge junior middleweight unification fight between bitter rivals Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas.

• Ringside memories on the 10th anniversary of one of the biggest mega fights in boxing history, Floyd Mayweather against Canelo Alvarez in a junior middleweight unification fight that set the all-time boxing revenue record at the time.

• Memories on the 30th anniversary of the showdown for pound-for-pound supremacy between all-time greats Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez for Whitaker’s welterweight title. It was a fight that ended with most viewing Whitaker as a clear-cut winner but officially was ruled a draw in one of the most controversial results in boxing history.

Please give it a listen! Also: rate, review, subscribe and enjoy!

Jesus Ramos photo: Jacob De Leon

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