Rising star Ramos honored to be in coveted Canelo-Charlo co-feature
Las Vegas grand arrivals; jr. middleweight prospect Callum Walsh to headline at MSG Theater; Matchroom Boxing strikes deal for events in Japan; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Junior middleweight Jesus Ramos Jr., who many view as the best young fighter on the Premier Boxing Champions roster, appears to be its chosen one.
How else to explain that he has become the go-to fighter to appear in the co-feature fights of the biggest PBC cards on pay-per-view as it tries to build another PPV attraction?
In March, Ramos dominated and knocked out then-unbeaten prospect Joey Spencer in the co-feature of the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant pay-per-view.
In July, he was due to fight Sergio Garcia in the co-feature of the long-awaited Errol Spence Jr.-Terence Crawford undisputed welterweight championship fight, one of the biggest fights of the year. Ramos wound up having to withdraw from the card because of a left hand injury but here he is again in another prime slot.
Ramos will take on battle-tested contender Erickson Lubin in the 12-round co-feature of Canelo Alvarez’s defense of the undisputed super middleweight title against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo on Saturday (Showtime PPV and PPV.com, 8 p.m., $84.99) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The position Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) has been placed in is not lost on the 22-year-old from Casa Grande, Arizona.
“It’s truly an honor, man. I feel honored as well as it’s also a huge responsibility and something I have to take really seriously,” Ramos told Fight Freaks Unite. “I’ve been working really hard for this. I have to go in there and perform at my very best so I can keep earning these types of stages.”
He knows his placement in such a prime position is because the team at PBC, TGB Promotions and Showtime view him as a future star. He hopes to live up to the hype, which he has done so far with quality wins over Javier Molina, current WBC interim titleholder Brian Mendoza, Vladimir Hernandez, Luke Santamaria and Spencer over his past five bouts.
“It speaks to me how much they believe in me,” Ramos said. “I have a great team behind me and I feel like they’re getting me ready for the biggest stages. Hopefully, one day I’m headlining the main event of a pay-per-view card and I’ll be more than ready. Fighting on these types of events isn’t easy. My first couple of times I was nervous. There was a lot going on, but I’m getting the hang of it and I’m getting better at everything.
“I remember when Canelo was the co-main event for Floyd Mayweather. We would always watch him, so now to be his co-main event is huge for me. I’m embracing every second of it.”
Fellow southpaw Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs), 27, of Orlando, Florida, on paper, at least, appears to be yet another step up in competition for Ramos.
“I feel like I’m a contender. I feel I’m past the prospect stage but with a win over Lubin I think it would solidify that,” Ramos said. “We just got to keep winning and moving up that ladder.
“A win means I am solidifying my spot at the top with the rest of the guys. There’s not a lot of names (at 154 pounds) after Lubin. There’s Tim Tszyu, Brian Mendoza, Charlo, but after Lubin there’s not a lot of guys. I’d be positioning myself at the top with these guys and that’s what I want, to keep earning my spot at the top until I get that world title shot.”
Lubin’s only losses were by first-round knockout challenging Charlo for his WBC title in 2017 and by ninth-round stoppage to Sebastian Fundora in April 2022 in a fight of the year candidate that Lubin led on two scorecards when it was stopped by his corner.
“He’s a strong fighter, experienced,” Ramos said of Lubin. “He’s been there, so I feel like all that’s going to bring something out in me. He’s strong willed as well. He’s not going to lay down with one shot. I’ll try to break his will round by round.”
I’ll be covering the Canelo-Charlo in Las Vegas this week. Upgrade to a paid subscription and make sure you don’t miss any posts. You’ll also have full access to the archive, comments and you will help support independent journalism
Canelo-Charlo grand arrivals
Canelo and Charlo made their official grand arrivals at the MGM Grand, the host hotel for their showdown, to kick off the fight week activities on Tuesday.
They will meet in the first matchup of the four-belt era pitting two reigning male undisputed champions against each other. Alvarez will defend the super middleweight belts against undisputed junior middleweight champion Charlo in one of the biggest fights of the year on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
“I feel the love and support from my people and I’m proud to represent my country,” Mexico’s Alvarez told the throng of fans who paced the MGM Grand lobby for the event. “I am 100 percent right now and ready to show you a different Canelo on Saturday. Charlo is a great fighter who knows how to box. He is strong and has nothing to lose. He came to my division to win it all. But I’ve been in this position for a long time and I’m ready.”
Charlo, who is moving up two divisions, also spoke to the gathered crowd.
“These fans think Canelo is the best in the world, but I’m going to come here and show that I’m the best,” Charlo said. “I do this for the dogs, the hungry ones. I do it for the animals. I’m made for this. After I beat Canelo, the world will be screaming ‘Charlo, Charlo!’ You dig? Now it’s my turn, my time, my moment. I’m going to shine on Saturday night. We can’t talk about it; we have to be about it. Come fight night, you’ll all see what that means.”
If you missed my interview with Canelo here it is as a stand-alone podcast.
Canelo-Charlo PPV lineup
Super middleweights: Canelo Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) vs. Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs), 12 rounds, for Alvarez’s undisputed title
Junior middleweights: Jesus Ramos Jr. (20-0, 16 KOs) vs. Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs), 12 rounds
Welterweights: Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) vs. Mario Barrios (27-2, 18 KOs), 12 rounds, for vacant WBC interim title
Middleweights: Elijah Garcia (15-0, 12 KOs) vs. Armando Resendiz (14-1, 10 KOs), 10 rounds
Walsh to headline in NYC
Junior middleweight prospect Callum Walsh is headed for the Big Apple.
Walsh will take on Ismael Villarreal in a 10-rounder that will headline a card put on by Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 9 (UFC Fight Pass).
Two days later, UFC 295 will take place in the MSG main arena.
Walsh (8-0, 7 KOs), 22, a southpaw from Ireland, who fights out of Hollywood, California, and is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, fought all of his previous bouts in Southern California except for a fight in March in Boston, which Garden officials attended with the plan to eventually bring him to New York, where there is a large Irish community that has supported its fighters.
Villarreal (13-1, 9 KOs), 26, Bronx, New York, has won his only fight since a 10-round split decision to unbeaten prospect Andreal Holmes in February.
“Every fighter aspires to fight at Madison Square Garden,” Walsh said. “It’s a big combat sports week and a dream come true to fight at ‘The Mecca of Boxing’ in New York City ahead of UFC 295. I can’t wait to put on a great show for the fans and my Irish compatriots.”
Roach is bullish on the Walsh, who has a fan in UFC boss Dana White.
“For Callum to be making his Garden debut is a testament to his hard work and talent,” Roach said. “But to be the headliner, in just his ninth pro fight, and during this special week, that is a ringing endorsement from the Garden executives. Villarreal is another big test for Callum. Callum wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Villarreal, who is promoted by Main Events, happily accepted the fight.
“My dream is to be a world boxing champion and to achieve it I have to eliminate all the obstacles that come my way and Callum Walsh will be no exception,” Villarreal said. “I will be happy to do it in New York in front of my fans, in the city where I was born and have lived all my life. I know that this victory will open the doors for me to compete in a world championship no later than 2024.”
Loeffler has a long-standing relationship with Garden officials. He has promoted several Gennadiy Golovkin and Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko events there.
“Fighting at Madison Square Garden is a huge step for every future superstar in boxing,” Loeffler said. “Callum draws sold-out, celebrity-filled crowds to his events in Los Angeles and we’re expecting another tremendous evening for his New York debut. Dana White and his team at the UFC continue to be tremendous partners for the growth of Callum and we’re very excited to be part of their tremendous week at Madison Square Garden.”
Quick hits
Matchroom Boxing announced a deal to put on “three major annual events on Japanese soil over the next three years” with each show streaming on DAZN worldwide, except in Asia. The deal is with Rakuten Ticket and NSN. No kickoff date, site or card was announced. “The future of boxing in Japan is incredibly bright,” Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith said. “We are delighted to seal this historic partnership with Rakuten Ticket, Inc. and NSN. Japan is an important, strategic market for us to operate in and by bringing our world-class boxing events to this great country, we will not only showcase some of the finest fighters on the planet, but we will help establish some of the country’s leading domestic talents, who will undoubtedly prosper on the world’s stage in years to come.”
Former junior lightweight titlist Tevin Farmer (31-5-1, 6 KOs), 33, who fought for the first time in 3½ years on June 24 and outpointed Avery Sparrow over 10 rounds in a lightweight bout in their hometown of Philadelphia, is set to fight again on Friday night, also at 2300 Arena. Farmer will face Oscar Barajas (19-8-1, 5 KOs), 33, of Mexico, in an eight-rounder in the main event of the R & B Promotions card that will stream on Combat Sports Now.
The WBC has ordered Shadasia Green (13-0, 11 KOs), 34, of Paterson, New Jersey, and former undisputed champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn (8-2, 2 KOs), 36, of Baltimore, to meet for its vacant women’s super middleweight title. They will fill the vacancy left by Savannah Marshall, who outpointed Crews-Dezurn in July to win the undisputed crown. Marshall was due to make a WBC mandatory defense against Green, but England’s Marshall (13-1, 10 KOs) is sidelined with an injury until at least April. Therefore, the WBC has re-classified Marshall as a “champion in recess” and ordered the Jake Paul-promoted Green and Crews-Dezurn to fight for the vacant title. When Marshall returns she can face the winner.
Show and tell
While undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo takes center stage this week as he moves up two weight classes to challenge undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on Saturday in a huge fight in Las Vegas, he shared the spotlight with twin brother and WBC middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo for what was billed as two pay-per-views for the priced of one with six total fights on Showtime PPV, but which was really just one big pay-per-view on which both brothers were in title bouts at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. Jermall retained his 160-pound title by hard-fought unanimous decision against Sergiy Derevyanchenko in the main event of the first half of the event. In the final bout of the night, Jermell unified three 154-pound titles via blistering eighth-round knockout of Jeison Rosario to retain the WBC title and also take the IBF and WBA belts from Rosario before eventually fully unifying the division to claim the undisputed title. The fan-friendly card took place on Sept. 26, 2020 — three years ago on Tuesday. Here is a limited Showtime PPV poster from the card in my collection.
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Ramos Canelo photos: Ryan Hafey/PBC
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I really like this undercard PBC put together!
So do l