Abel Ramos Hands Tahmir Smalls First Career Loss

Body attack decides welterweight bout, hands Smalls first loss

Abel Ramos handed Tahmir Smalls the first defeat of his professional career Saturday night, winning a split decision over ten rounds at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The welterweight bout aired on DAZN as part of the undercard to Emanuel Navarrete vs. Eduardo Nunez.

Two judges scored it 98-92 and 97-93 for Ramos, while a third saw it 96-94 for Smalls. Ramos moves to 29-6-3 with 22 knockouts. Smalls falls to 16-1 with 11 knockouts.

Smalls controlled the early rounds. He worked behind his jab, controlled range, and kept Ramos turning. His footwork and straight punching built a lead through the first half. Ramos spent those rounds measuring, picking spots, and waiting for exchanges to open.

The shift came when Ramos committed to the body. He stepped in behind a tighter guard, set his feet, and invested downstairs with both hands. Left hooks to the ribs and straight rights to the midsection slowed Smalls’ movement. As the rounds progressed, Smalls found himself closer to the ropes, absorbing combinations rather than dictating pace.

Ramos began finishing exchanges upstairs. A clean right hand in the later rounds forced Smalls to reset and hold his ground. There were no knockdowns. A late tumble by Smalls was ruled a slip.

According to CompuBox, Ramos landed 127 total punches. While full totals for Smalls were not widely circulated, ringside coverage credited Ramos’ body work and forward pressure as the difference over the final rounds.

This was not a wide fight, but Ramos closed stronger. He checked Smalls’ workrate in the second half and kept his offense flowing late. The judges rewarded the man who finished pressing.

For Ramos, the win repositions him in a competitive 147-pound field where contenders are separated by narrow margins. For Smalls, the first loss forces adjustments. At welterweight, the learning curve is unforgiving once the rounds get hard and the body shots start to add up.

Wins over unbeaten prospects influence positioning when sanctioning bodies review eliminators and fringe top-15 consideration.