3/4 ESPN+: Jose Ramirez vs Jose Pedraza

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Last month, Top Rank announced that former unified junior welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez (pictured) will return in front of a raucous home crowd, facing former two-weight champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza in a twelve-round junior welterweight battle Saturday, Feb. 5th at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Top Rank has now announced the co-feature: featherweight Joet Gonzalez of Southern California has signed a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank and will return in a ten-round bout against Jeo Santisima of the Philippines. Ramirez-Pedraza, Gonzalez-Santisima, the heavyweight professional debut of U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr., and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+.

“Jose Ramirez has always demanded the biggest challenges, and he’s back in there with a tough former champion in Jose Pedraza,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “There are few more exciting atmospheres in boxing than when Jose fights in the Central Valley. The fans there love Jose, and he embodies the region’s blue-collar work ethic. I am also delighted that the Central Valley’s next superstar, Richard Torrez Jr., will make his professional debut in front of a sold-out crowd.”
Ramirez (26-1, 17 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time since May’s decision defeat to Josh Taylor for the undisputed world junior welterweight title. Ramirez made four title defenses since winning the WBC crown in 2018, and he unified the WBC and WBO world titles the following year with a knockout win over Maurice Hooker. Ramirez has drawn 65,794 fans through five headlining fight nights at Save Mart Center. When he fought Jose “Chon” Zepeda at Save Mart Center in February 2019, 14,034 fans — an attendance record for boxing in the arena — turned up. Pedraza (29-3, 14 KOs), from Cidra, Puerto Rico, is a former junior lightweight and lightweight world champion who has won three in a row since a decision defeat to Zepeda. He is coming off June's eighth-round knockout over the previously undefeated Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez.

“I am motivated to become world champion once again, and it begins with a tough fight against Pedraza,” Ramirez said. “There are no better fans than the ones who pack the Save Mart Center every time I fight. The Central Valley is my home, and it is always a great honor to perform for my people.”

"This one is personal to Ramírez,” said Rick Mirigian, Ramirez’s manager. “This is the fight that puts him back at the top of the sport and in line for the biggest fights.”

Pedraza said, "The new year will bring a big opportunity to battle against a former world champion like Jose Ramirez. This fight is very important for me because I know this will be the fight that will give me the opportunity to win a world title in a third weight division.

"There is no space for a loss. Not on my record, and much less in my mind. I know that Ramirez is a great fighter and always comes well prepared. He always comes in shape to give the fans a great fight.”

“My last three fights have been on Top Rank cards, and they’ve always treated me with respect. I can't wait for my official debut under the Top Rank banner,” Gonzalez said. “Jeo is a tough Filipino warrior, and this is a great opportunity to prove I belong in the featherweight title conversation. I want another title shot, and it all starts with an impressive showing in Fresno.”

Gonzalez (24-2, 14 KOs), from Glendora, California, is ranked in the top 10 at featherweight by two sanctioning organizations. He received his first world title shot in October 2019, dropping a unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson for the vacant WBO featherweight title. Nearly two years later, he challenged Emanuel Navarrete for the same belt, and the two combined for a Fight of the Year contender. While Gonzalez lost a unanimous decision, he proved his mettle. He bested Miguel Marriaga over ten rounds on a Top Rank on ESPN card in between the Stevenson and Navarrete fights.

Santisima (21-3, 18 KOs), from Aroroy, Philippines, lost two of his first four pro bouts before a 17-fight winning streak earned him a shot at Navarrete in February 2020 for the WBO junior featherweight world title. In a high-profile setting on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder II undercard, Santisima acquitted himself well, ultimately falling via eleventh-round TKO. He has won two straight by knockout in his home country since the Navarrete defeat.


Torrez made history as the first American Olympian to medal in the super heavyweight division since Riddikk Bowe in 1988. Last month, he signed a long-term professional contract with Top Rank. Torrez was a U.S. National Championships gold medalist in 2017 and 2018, in addition to capturing three U.S. Youth National titles from 2014-2016. He went 154-10 as an amateur, and after a long international career in the unpaid ranks, he returns home for his pro debut.

“I can think of no better place to turn pro than in front of my Central Valley friends and family,” Torrez said. “They’ve supported me my entire amateur career, and I am thrilled that they will see the start of my professional journey. Let’s show everyone what it means to be valley grown!”

 

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Jose Pedraza Falls Ill, Forces Postponement Of Planned February 5 Fight With Jose Ramirez

BY JAKE DONOVAN
Published Mon Jan 10, 2022, 03:03 PM EST


Jose Ramirez will have to wait at least one more month for his first fight as a former titlist.

BoxingScene.com has confirmed with sources that Jose Pedraza (illness) was forced to shut down training camp, thus postponing plans for a previously scheduled February 5 clash with Ramirez. The event was to headline an ESPN+ show from Save Mart Arena in Fresno, roughly an hour from Ramirez’s hometown of Avenal, California. It will now take place on March 4, per sources.

News of the postponed ESPN+ event was first revealed by ESPN.com boxing insider Mike Coppinger via Twitter.

Once rescheduled, Ramirez (26-1, 17KOs) will make his first ring appearance since a twelve-round unanimous decision defeat to Scotland’s Josh Taylor (18-0, 13KOs). It came in a memorable undisputed junior welterweight championship last May 22 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, with two knockdowns suffered by Ramirez proving to be the difference on the scorecards of Tim Cheatham (114-112), Dave Moretti (114-112) and Steve Weisfeld (114-112).

The loss ended Ramirez’s three-plus year WBC title reign, having made four successful defenses including a July 2019 knockout of Maurice Hooker to win the WBO belt on the road in Arlington, Texas. The win over Hooker came 16 months after Ramirez outpointed Amir Imam to win the vacant WBC junior welterweight belt on St. Patrick’s Day in 2017 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City.

Pedraza (29-3, 14KOs) has emerged as a bubble contender in the junior welterweight division after a rough introduction in a ten-round loss to current top contender Jose Zepeda in September 2019. Three wins have followed for the former junior lightweight and lightweight titlist from Cidra, Puerto Rico, all taking place in Las Vegas.

In his most recent start, Pedraza—who represented Puerto Rico in the 2008 Beijing Olympics—stopped previously unbeaten Julian Rodriguez after eight rounds last June 12 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

The winner will serve as a formidable challenger to Taylor, who will face England’s Jack Catterall on February 26. The fight was also rescheduled, originally due to take place December 18 only for Taylor to suffer an injury which postponed the WBO mandatory title (also with the lineal/WBA/WBC/IBF titles at stake) to February 26 in Glasgow.

With the new fight date, Ramirez will make his eighth career appearance at Save Mart Arena, proving to be a huge draw in his home region. His last three appearances came with title implications, including a second-round knockout of unbeaten Mike Reed in their November 2017 title eliminator and a September 2018 unanimous decision win over then-undefeated contender Antonio Orozco in the first defense of his WBC title.

Ramirez’s seventh and most recent appearance at the venue came in February 2019, barely outlasting Zepeda in claiming a twelve-round majority decision win. The fight preceded his career-best win over Hooker to become a unified titlist.

 

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Gabriel Flores vs. Abraham Montoya Added To Ramirez-Pedraza Card

BY RANDOM HITS
Published Thu Jan 27, 2022, 01:05 PM EST


Gabriel Flores Jr. is aiming for a fresh start in Fresno. The 21-year-old junior lightweight hopes to bounce back from his first career defeat in a 10-round bout against Mexican veteran Abraham Montoya on Friday, March 4 at Save Mart Center.

Flores and Montoya will do battle underneath the junior welterweight main event between former unified champion Jose Ramirez and two-weight world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza. The entire Ramirez-Pedraza card will stream live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+.

“The mission I’m on is personal, and I will be a world champion,” Flores said. “I am more motivated than ever, and I will have answers for whatever Montoya brings.”

Flores (20-1, 7 KOs), who hails from Stockton, California, will have a sizable cheering section make the roughly two-hour drive to Fresno. Last September in Tucson, Arizona, he suffered his first career defeat, a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez. Flores showed his mettle over 10 rounds, fighting back in the face of Lopez’s relentless onslaught. Signed by Top Rank as a 16-year-old, Flores was flawless throughout the first four-plus years of his pro career. In February 2020, he became only the second man to knock out Puerto Rican contender Jayson Velez.

Montoya (20-2-1, 14 KOs), from Mexicali, Mexico, is an eight-year pro with a knack for upsetting undefeated prospects. In March 2018, he bested Luis Alberto Lopez (12-0 at the time) by split decision. Last February, he upset undefeated prospect Alejandro Guerrero by majority decision. He has won two fights since a November 2019 decision defeat to top contender Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov.

Flores Jr. vs. Montoya joins a packed undercard that includes featherweight contender Joet Gonzalez (24-2, 14 KOs) against Jeo Santisima (21-3, 18 KOs) in a 10-rounder, the six-round heavyweight professional debut of U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr., rising junior lightweight Karlos Balderas (11-1, 10 KOs) in an eight-rounder, lightweight prospect Charlie Sheehy (1-0, 1 KO) in a four-rounder, 6’9 heavyweight Antonio “El Gigante” Mireles (2-0, 2 KOs) in a four-rounder, and middleweight prospect Javier “Milwaukee Made” Martinez (5-0, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder.

 

[patscorpio]

Uppin

 

[Bigblackted4]

Pedraza about to get his ass beat

 

[patscorpio]

 

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[ChocolateGiddyUp]

If Pedraza wins

 

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[Bigblackted4]

Card is much more deeper than I realized. A lot of flawed guys on here.

 

[patscorpio]

Card is much more deeper than I realized. A lot of flawed guys on here.

i can see one upset happening at least

 

[GzUp]

What time does the card start without the pre lems?

 

[patscorpio]

i wonder if ward commentary will be on the level tonight

 

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mireles seems pretty coordinated for a big guy and he dropped dude face first

 

[patscorpio]

he's done...the bell is only delaying the inevitable