Ramirez vs Imam Preview
Unless you’re a hardcore boxing fan, you may be unaware that there is a pretty exciting championship fight coming up on Saturday. Amir Imam (21-1, 18 KO) will take on Jose Carlos Ramirez (21-0, 16 KO) for the vacant WBC light welterweight title.
Ramirez has pretty much blitzed through his opposition to date. He suffered a knockdown against Johnny Garcia, but still won that fight. He went the distance against a very tough Manuel Perez.
Since beating Perez, Ramirez has stopped everyone he’s faced. He put away Tomas Mendez in four, Issouf Kinda in six, Jake Giuriceo in two, and perhaps most impressively, fellow unbeaten Top Rank prospect Mike Reed last November. He clobbered Reed from the opening bell and was able to stop him in just two rounds, which earned him this fight against Amir Imam.
Ramirez has the tools, no question. But we’ve yet to really see how he responds to adversity. Maybe he’s so good that we still won’t know after Saturday night, but Imam has the ability to test Ramirez, and it would be a huge mistake for Ramirez to get cocky and start thinking he’s going to knock everyone out in short order.
On paper, Imam has a complete toolbox of goods to work with— speed, skill, power, and he’s pretty big for 140lbs. He has victories over Yordenis Ugas (who has been on a tear ever since), Santos Benavides, Fidel Maldonado Jr, Walter Castillo, and Fernando Angulo. He had the look of the next “big thing”.
That was until he faced Adrian Granados in November 2015. Granados, unlike others Imam had fought, wouldn’t go away, and seemingly nothing Imam threw at Granados could convince the rough Chicago brawler to let off the gas. Granados stopped him in the eighth round, having thoroughly taken over the fight.
Imam got back in the ring and has won three straight since that loss to Granados. Most recently Imam appeared on Ramirez’s undercard, beating Johnny Garcia via stoppage after the fourth round in Fresno.
This is a huge fight for both Ramirez and Imam. Firstly, it’s for a world title but most importantly it’s the type of fight that can either propel a career or set it back. With the 140lb division on the rise these two have a chance to plant their flag and make a stand with the WBC belt around their waist.
Oh did I mention it also pits Bob Arum against Don King one more time…
By: Chris Henderson
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