Jose Ramirez, a former U.S. Olympian and ex-champ, finally dusted off his gloves after a year to school Rances Barthelemy in what could generously be called a snoozer. Over 12 rounds, Ramirez managed to show up and not much else, earning a unanimous decision that was more about attendance than excellence, with the judges scoring 119-109, 119-109, and 118-110.
Ramirez basked in his long-awaited return. “I felt great coming in, overly excited. I showed some good skills,” he claimed, despite giving Barthelemy a chance to nearly score a knockdown. “I think that was my mistake for being distracted in that moment of the round and keeping him in the fight. Overall, I’m just thankful I got the win.”
Meanwhile, the knockout factory Vergil Ortiz Jr. decided to expedite the proceedings against Thomas Dulorme by landing a gut-wrenching body shot at 2:39 in the first round. “He was coming with everything,” Ortiz Jr. boasted. “I can’t explain how I know when to land a shot like that, I can just feel it. I knew it was over, he made a sound and the way he fell.”
On the same card, Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte gave Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. a tough lesson in power, stopping him for the first time ever in a ninth-round beatdown. Duarte reflected on his win, “I felt really good. I had an amazing preparation with all my Mexico and Robert Garcia teams. I felt like I was fully there, really good.”
The women’s flyweight division saw Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz snatch a split decision win in a grudge rematch against Marlen Esparza. “I’m very happy. The belts are coming back to Argentina,” Alaniz beamed. Esparza, feeling robbed by the judges yet again, vowed, “I’ll be back, I know I will.”
The night began with Raul “El Cugar” Curiel defending his NABF Welterweight Title with a swift knockdown of Jorge Marron Jr., wrapping things up at 1:31 in the first round. The preliminary card was just as merciless, with Bryan Lua finishing Ronaldo “Criminal” Solis in under a round, and Figo Ramirez warming up the crowd by overpowering Alejandro Robles, who probably regretted showing up.
