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Fast Results From Fresno: Ramirez MD 12; Beltran KO 9

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 In an era when so many big fights start after midnight for bleary-eyed viewers in the Eastern Time Zone, today’s show in Fresno, a Top Rank production, was an anomaly. The two featured bouts were boxed into the 7-9 pm ET time slot on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (meaning the telecast commenced at four in the afternoon for us folks out west). The undercard bouts, live-streamed on the ESPN+ app, kicked off three hours earlier.

In the main go, Jose Carlos Ramirez (pictured on the right) made the second defense of his 140-pound world title. In the opposite corner stood a fellow Californian, Jose Zepeda, whose lone defeat had come in a previous bid for a world title when he faced WBC lightweight title-holder Terry Flanagan in Liverpool. (Zepeda retired on his stool after two rounds with a dislocated shoulder.)

A former U.S. Olympian, Ramirez hails from the dusty little town of Avenal but will always be identified with nearby Fresno where he is one of the city’s most honored citizens. This was his eighth appearance in the city that serves as the economic hub of the fertile San Joaquin Valley.

Zepeda is an excellent counterpuncher with an awkward southpaw style, but his style was all wrong for stealing the decision on Ramirez’s turf. In a bout marred by numerous accidental head clashes, Ramirez successfully defended his title, winning a majority decision (116-112, 115-113, 114-114). There were no knockdowns, but both fighters were cut and Zepeda looked much the worse for wear at the final bell. Ramirez improved to 24-0 but was extended the distance for the third straight time. Zepeda declined to 30-2.

Beltran-Okada

In the semi-main, former WBO lightweight champion Raymundo Beltran, 19-year pro, moved up in weight and looked strong while taking out Hiroki Okada in the ninth frame. This was a good action fight studded with a furious second stanza in which Okada rallied and had Beltran hurt after tasting the canvas. Beltran (36-8-1, 22 KOs) was cut over both eyes. The previously undefeated Okada, now 19-1, was cut over his left eye and ended the fight with a bad welt high on his left cheek.

Tokyo’s Okada was doing well when Beltran caught him with a left-right combination, sending him to the mat for the second time. When Okada rose, Beltran bullied him into a corner and flailed away until Okada’s second tossed in the towel. California’s foremost referee Jack Reiss was slow on the trigger. With boxing bursting out all over in California this weekend, Reiss was a busy beaver and may have left his “A” game in SoCal.

Other Bouts

In an upset, Cristian Coria, a 36-year-old Argentine, stopped Joel Diaz Jr. in the third round of their junior welterweight match. Diaz was on the canvas twice before the bout was halted. Although Coria (29-7-2, 13 KOs) gave notice that he was no generic “opponent” when he battled Hiroki Okada tooth-and-nail at this venue in September, losing a razor-thin decision, he still wasn’t expected to beat Diaz (24-2) who is a member of a prominent boxing family and suffered his lone previous defeat at the hands of fearsome Regis Prograis.

Phoenix featherweight Carlos Castro (22-0, 9 KOs) stepped up in class and passed the test, winning a lopsided 10-round decision over well-traveled Filipino Genesis Servania (32-2), a former world title challenger. The scores were 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

In a super featherweight contest, San Jose’s Andy Vences (22-0-1) cruised to an 8-round decision over LA-based Albanian Dardan Zenunaj (14-6). Vences won every round on all three scorecards.

Gabriel Flores Jr., an 18-year-old prospect currently competing as a junior welterweight, advanced to 12-0 (5) with a 6-round unanimous decision over Calgary-based Alex Torres Wynn (6-3). The scores were 59-55 and 60-54 twice.

In a featherweight match, Fresno southpaw Isidro Ochoa improved to 7-0 (3) with a fourth round stoppage of Tijuana’s Jesus Arturo Guzman (7-3).

One of Top Rank’s newest signees, 6’6” heavyweight Guido Vianello, overwhelmed Andrew Satterfield who failed to survive the opening round. Vianello, who represented Italy in the 2016 Olympics, is 2-0 as a pro with both wins by stoppage. Satterfield (4-2) launched his pro career in January of last year at the West Virginia State Penitentiary.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his least three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, delivered the coup-de-gras, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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