Rising Prospect Jesus Ramos Talks His Future Following His Dominant Victory Over Brian Mendoza
Jesus Ramos (17-0, 14 KOs) is starting to create a lot of buzz from boxing insiders. The 20-year-old from Casa Grande, Arizona is viewed as a bit of a young prodigy. Nicknamed “Mono”, Ramos has been moved carefully under the guidance of his father/trainer Jesus Sr. However, that’s beginning to change. On September 5, he stepped into the ring to face tough veteran junior middleweight Brian Mendoza (19-2, 13 KOs).
Two things made this contest an intriguing one. One, Mendoza was previously set to face former unified world junior middleweight champ Julian “J-Rock” Williams, and look at Ramos as a fallback option. Secondly, this was Ramos’ first fight at 154 pounds after previously camping as a welterweight. He’s currently ranked #14 by the WBA at 147 pounds.
Hardcore boxing heads wanted to see how the young man would fare at a higher weight against an opponent viewed as the toughest test of his career.
MAKING THE GRADE
The main event on a Fox/PBC card at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ramos passed his test with flying colors. He dominated throughout, defeating Mendoza by a comfortable unanimous decision.
Following the win, the undefeated fighter sat down for an exclusive interview with 3KingsBoxing. Mendoza was his first main event. He viewed the fight as a milestone and a valuable learning experience for future fights.
147 OR 154?
Ramos looked physically comfortable at 154. When asked if this is a permanent move, “Mono” said this fight was to test the waters at a higher weight. However, he did admit he felt a lot better than fighting at 147 pounds. With Mendoza previously scheduled to fight “J-Rock”, we asked him if the former 154-pound champion is now on his radar.
“Of course, if I stay at 154, those are the fights we’re gonna look for. The tough fights, the best in the division, just like I was doing at 147. At 147, I was looking for Ugas. I was looking for that type of competition that was going to take me to the next level.
So, if I make that jump to 154, those are the guys I want to face. The guys at the top of the division; the one’s that will give me that learning experience.”
Ramos is among a group of up-and-coming contenders in that weight area making a lot of noise. They include Vergil Ortiz Jr, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, and Rashidi Ellis. Ramos expressed a desire to fight his contemporaries at some point down the road.
DREAM FIGHT OR GRUDGE MATCH
It was interesting that Ugas has perked his interest. Ramos disclosed that if there is one fighter he dreams of fighting, it’s the current WBA “super” world welterweight champ.
“One of the names that we mentioned before this fight is Ugas. Yordenis Ugas, he beat my uncle. I said that I wanted to avenge that loss. We wanted an eye for an eye. So, he beat my uncle, and now I had to get him back. That was the fight that I wanted, the only name that I mentioned.
If the opportunity presents itself, that’s something I would take because Ugas is a great fighter. He beat Manny Pacquiao easy and did a good job doing it. I know the talent that he has, and I would like to share the ring with Ugas.”
It may be a bit far-fetched to talk of fighting Yordenis Ugas at this early stage of his career. Ramos even admitted that a world title fight is not happening anytime soon. However, it speaks to his confidence and the youthful exuberance to even talk of facing him.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
