Undefeated up-and-coming super flyweight prospect John “Scrappy” Ramirez (10-0, 8 KOs) got a lot of boxing fans’ attention last May with one of the best knockouts. He sent his opponent, (one loss) Jan Salvatierra, crashing thru the ropes onto the ground outside the ring, from a powerful right hook to his head, for the first-round knockout. Ramirez obtained the vacant NABA super flyweight title with the sensational victory.
Ramirez is ranked second by the WBA, in large part due to his dominating win over Salvatierra. Now, he will look to keep his upward career momentum going and try to move into the top fifteen of the WBO, WBC, and IBF sanctioning organizations’ rankings with a victory against Luis “Callado” Padilla (15-3-2, 2 KOs) this Thursday, February 23rd, at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Ramirez will make his first NABA title defense against Padilla.
Padilla has won two in a row, both by decisions. He defeated one-loss George Navarro in June last year, and then five months later, he beat Carlos Buitrago, the former mini-flyweight and light flyweight world title challenger, in his last outing.
“I am going to destroy Padilla,” said Ramirez, who has scored four knockout victories in his last five bouts. “We are on a whole different level in terms of mental, physical, and boxing skills. There are levels in boxing, and he is not on my level. It will not be easy, but I will get the job done.”
WHAT TIME IS ‘SCRAPPY’ RAMIREZ VS. PADILLA?
- Date: Thursdasy, February 23
- Time: 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT
- Main event: 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. GMT
- The fight will take place at the Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino in Indio, California.
- The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe
- The main card is set to get underway at 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT with the Ramirez vs. Padilla fight set to take place at around 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. GMT.
The twenty-six-year-old orthodox boxer from East Los Angeles, California, will fight again on DAZN (he beat Salvatierra on DAZN’s opening televised bout) in the ten-round main event in just his eleventh professional bout.
“I am grateful, but I am not surprised. My hard work and dedication have led me to this opportunity to headline this show and be the number two-ranked fighter in my division,” said Ramirez, who will be fighting in his home state of California for the third consecutive time. “I spoke things into existence. Many people did not believe in me, but I did, and here we are. I am excited to put on a performance and show the people who I am.”
When Ramirez steps in the ring against Padilla, it will be his first fight in over nine months, an unusually long inactive stretch. His first ten bouts took place over twenty-one months, and he fought four times in six weeks from April to May last year.
“I was ranked second in the [WBA] rankings, and we were trying to get a world title eliminator fight which took some time. I do not know what happened behind closed doors, but three other fights fell through,” Ramirez said. “I did not get discouraged and continued to work hard in the gym. That is why I have a team.
They take care of the business side of everything, and I make sure I am ready to fight. That is already in the past. I am ready for my February 23rd bout, which is all that matters.”
During the last nine months, Ramirez has trained tirelessly at the 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art boxing gym, Brickhouse Boxing Club in North Hollywood, California (which opened in May 2021). He is constantly improving his boxing skills with his head trainer Julian Chua, trainer and former four-time world title holder Brian Viloria, and strength and conditioning coach Chris Wong.
“My last fight was in May, so I have been in the gym twice a day since then. Boxing is a lifestyle for me, so I am already in shape, and I have already made weight. I am excited to get back into the ring,” said Ramirez, whose manager is David Shu of 3 Point Management. “During training, I worked on the fundamentals and staying sharp, but I also wanted to grow as a fighter and work on my weaknesses. So, I took the time to add another style to my arsenal and trained with former two-division world champion Celestino “Pelenchin” Caballero (37-6, 24 KOs) in Maimi, Florida. You always want to keep learning and growing. When that stops, your career is over.”
Ramirez has obtained additional boxing knowledge and pointers from light heavyweight world title challenger and former WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez (44-1, 30 KOs) (no relation), who trains alongside him every day at the Brickhouse Boxing Club, as does undefeated WBC and WBO super bantamweight titleholder Stephen Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs).
Ramírez is also Scrappy’s promoter and made him the first fighter he signed to his boxing promotional company Zurdo Promotions, and he has promoted him since he turned professional.
If Ramirez defeats Padilla, he wants to fight Sirichai Thaiyen (64-4, 42 KOs), the resigning Asia Boxing Federation super flyweight champion, who is ranked third by the WBA for the world title eliminator. The winner of the Ramirez versus Thaiyen matchup would be ranked first, which is currently vacant, and become the mandatory challenger for WBA super flyweight world champion Joshua “El Profesor” Franco (18-1-3, 8 KOs).
“Thaiyen, I, and Gilberto Mendoza [Jr., the president of the World Boxing Association] met [at the WBA yearly convention] in December, and we all wanted this fight. Mendoza promised both of us this fight would happen,” Ramirez said. “I do not know why this fight did not occur. Maybe visa issues, but this fight will take place soon. It might not be my next fight, but hopefully, it will happen later on this year.”
Despite being involved in boxing for five years and only having twenty-five amateur bouts and soon-to-be eleven professional fights, Ramirez is extremely adamant that he is ready for a world title bout, which he will get if he continues to win.
“Most people judge me on the number of fights I have [ten] and believe that I am not ready for a world title bout, as opposed to how I did in my fights,” Ramirez said. “I believe in myself. I am born to be great. I am not afraid to take chances. I want to fight champions. I spar with champions. I embarrass champions. I know my skills are at a high level. I believe in myself. I know that the fast track belongs to me. Joshua [Franco] has the belt. I want it. So, if I want the fight, I have to call him out and fight him.”
Ramirez offsets his lack of experience and amateur pedigree with a tremendous work ethic, power (eighty percent knockout ratio), speed, and the confidence, poise, and ring IQ he demonstrates in the ring is well beyond his age and fighting experience.
He has also gained invaluable fighting experience by sparring with several elite boxers: Fulton, former WBA and WBC junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs), former WBO-NABO bantamweight titleholder Joshua Greer Jr. (22-3-2, 12 KOs), former WBC Silver super lightweight champion Jose Zepeda (35-3, 27 KOs), former IBF super flyweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas (33-3-2, 22 KOs), former WBC Continental Americas titleholder Jose Valenzuela (12-1, 8 KOs), former IBF USBA lightweight champion Ivan Redkach (23-6-1, 18 KOs), among others.
For more information about Ramirez, and the latest updates on his upcoming bout, friend him on Facebook at JohnRamirez, add him on Twitter at Scrappyboxin, and connect with him on Instagram at Scrappyboxing.
“I want to thank myself for believing in me and everyone else who has believed in me. I come from the bottom. It is easy to get discouraged and leave everything behind, but something in me kept pushing me forward, and I never gave up,” Ramirez said. “I have inspired others to follow in my footsteps, which has pushed me to do even more. I want to thank the people for that. Check out my upcoming fight on February 23rd in California in the main event. I am coming. You do not want to miss it.”
RAMIREZ VS. PADILLA FIGHT CARD
- John “Scrappy” Ramirez vs. Luis Padilla; For the NABA junior bantamweight title
- Manuel Flores vs. Franklin Gonzalez; Bantamweights
- Lorraine Villalobos vs. Katherine Lindenmuth; Strawweights
- Stefanie Cohen vs. Leanne Calderon; Bantamweights
- Zachary Spiller vs. Kaleel Carter; Heavyweights
- Grant Flores vs. Christopher Gonzalez; Welterweights