Ramirez rusty in firefight but wins wide decision vs. Barthelemy
Vergil Ortiz blows away Dulorme, pounds way into showdown with Tszyu; Duarte first to stop Joseph Diaz; Alaniz avenges loss to Esparza
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Former unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez wasn’t thrilled with his performance against Rances Barthelemy but, other than a few rough moments early on, he dominated in his return.
Ramirez, back in the ring after a 13-month layoff, won a well-deserved wide unanimous decision in the all-action main event of the Golden Boy card on DAZN on Saturday night at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
Ramirez, who fighting before a passionate crowd of 13,650 in his home region, won 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110. Fight Freaks Unite also had Ramirez winning 118-110 as he had his first fight since signing with Golden Boy after parting ways with career-long promoter Top Rank.
“It wasn’t the best performance of my career,” Ramirez said. “I think I got overly excited. I hear people screaming my name and I was getting distracted.”
The most notable moment of his distraction was in the wild third round when fellow former Olympian Barthelemy appeared to drop Ramirez with his money punch, a straight left hand he threw often when he switched from a right-handed stance to southpaw.
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