Gilberto Ramirez fights through an injury late to squeeze out the decision!
After taking the first loss of his professional career, Jesse Hart had an opportunity to exact revenge against Gilberto Ramirez. A second round knockdown seemed to make the difference in the scores the first time around.
Hart was highly motivated, Ramirez extremely confident and the fan intrigued was high.
Making the Adjustment
To start, Hart impressed by showing he made an adjustment to his approach. He used lateral movement on the outside and made sure to shoot the jab to dictate the pace.
Ramirez had trouble playing the stalker as long as his opponent continued to command with the jab and move.
However, knowing how Hart likes to exude the “Philly Bravado” in fights coupled by what seemed to be an uneasiness utilizing constant movement, it was evident the challenger would not keep up the pace he set.
A Repeat May Happen
By round three, Hart stopped moving as much and started to look fatigued. This is where the champion would take full advantage of his boxing ability. He would sting his opponent with combinations from the outside then pivot. Rinse, then repeat.
Hart would attempt to keep the pace he set, however, his legs would not allow it. This kept him more flat-footed and looking to engage more from mid-range to inside distance.
He was a sitting duck for most of the first half of the fight. Moving into the second half, the challenger resurrected his initial game-plan behind a second wind.
A Resurgence
By this time it was apparent that if Hart increases his workload behind the jab while being first from the outside, he would have the most success. If he relied on what he knows best, imposing his will on the champion, he would get outboxed.
The second wind would bode well for Hart as he reclaimed the pace he set in the first round. In the eighth round, the champion appeared to be injured as he would be reluctant to throw anything with his left.
As the round came to a close, it was reported Ramirez suffered an injury to his left elbow. When Hart noticed this moving into the championship rounds, he went in for the kill.
As the bell for the final round sounded, the fight was a toss up. Both combatants needed to have a huge round to show once and for all who was superior.
A Hell of a Round
Boxing may have gotten one of the best rounds of 2018! While Hart started the round well, Ramirez would hurt him with a huge right hand. The champion would follow up with a multitude of right hands while he kept his injured arm protected.
This surprisingly kept Hart on the defensive for the majority of the round. What fans were witnessing was the champion dominating his opponent with one hand!
Then all of a sudden, Hart lands a sneaky right uppercut that hurts Ramirez towards the end of the round. He attempted to finish what he started but the onslaught came a little too late.
The Final Verdict
In the end, the fight was close and the scorecards reflected this. One judge turned in a draw while the other two reached a 115-113 score for the champion.
3kingsboxing.com also scored the bout 115-113 for Ramirez. Both fighters gave their thoughts at the end of the fight.
Gilberto Ramirez
“I’m moving up. I’m moving up to 175. If I don’t see a big fight [at 168] I’m moving up.”
Jesse Hart
“Terrible decision it was no contest tonight. I pressured him and outboxed him.”
If Ramirez indeed plans to move to light heavyweight, that opens up some excellent opportunities in an already stacked division!
By: EJ Williams
