CALIFORNIA CLASH
Two residents of the Golden State prepare to collide
THE Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California has hosted four of Jose Ramirez’s fights in the past. This Sunday (February 10), that number will rise to five, when the WBC super-lightweight belt-holder defends against fellow Californian Jose Zepeda, 30-1 (25) 1NC. The Mexicanamerican challenger is best known for an injury-enforced loss to Terry Flanagan in a July 2015 clash of unbeatens for the vacant WBO lightweight title. The La Puente switch-hitter was ruled out with a dislocated left shoulder after only two rounds. Since then, he has won seven bouts, albeit under the radar somewhat.
After picking up the vacant WBC crown in March with a unanimous points win over the previously exposed Amir Imam, Ramirez repeated this result six months later, this time against the then-undefeated Antonio Orozco. The 26-year-old from Avenal is a sharp puncher who is fleet of fist and foot. A 2012 Olympian, he varies his attacks effectively and has a solid chin – a crucial attribute when you consider that Zepeda, 29, hits with considerable force and accuracy. Ramirez, 23-0 (16), will have to be wary of his adversary’s heavy-handed assaults, but his speed and vigour can lead him to a well-deserved decision victory.
The co-feature on this Top Rank show – televised live on Boxnation (UK) and ESPN (US) – sees Phoenix, Arizona-based Mexican Raymundo Beltran, 35-8-1 (21) 1NC, face Tokyo’s Hiroki Okada, 19-0 (13). Former WBO lightweight champ Beltran, 37, can mark his move up to 140lbs by outscoring his 29-year-old Japanese foe over 10.