Jesus Ramos Jnr now has options.
The rising junior middleweight contender has now planted his flag in the 160lbs division after a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Shane Mosley Jnr. Scores were 117-111, 117-111 and 116-112 for Ramos, who claimed the WBC interim 160lbs title with the win Saturday evening at Frost Bank Center, home of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
Ramos was favored to prevail, even as he moved up in weight for his 160lbs debut. However, it was Mosley who landed the first impactful shot – several, in fact, as he quickly found a home for his right hand. Ramos turned things around – along with Mosley’s head – with a right hook late in the opening round.
Momentum remained with Ramos through the next couple of rounds. The 24-year-old southpaw from Casa Grande, Arizona, was the busier boxer, as Mosley – the proud, fighting son of legendary Hall of Fame former three-division champ Shane Mosley Snr – failed to heed the advice of head trainer Eric Belanger to avoid settling for single punches.
Mosley – who was in his first scheduled 12-rounder – picked up the pace in the fourth, by far his best of the fight to that point. Ramos was hurt for the first time on the night, as he was driven to the ropes by Mosley’s right hands. He once again went to his best weapon, a counter right hook that landed cleanly and helped turn the tide, as did his aggressive body attack.
Ramos made better use of his left-hand power shots throughout the fifth round. A counter left caught the attention of Mosley, who later complained of a low blow which helped him buy some time. It worked, as Mosley slammed home a right hand inside the final minute.
Mosley’s jab kept him in the fight during the middle rounds, though he again found himself outworked by the younger Ramos. Even during the moments he would land his right hand, Ramos responded with counter lefts and then set a blistering pace that Mosley couldn’t match.
Time was called in the ninth as referee Laurence Cole warned Ramos for hitting on the break and then urged both boxers to keep it clean. It turned out to be the advice they both needed to hear, as action picked up soon thereafter.
Mosley pushed through with a clean right hand, which Ramos took well, responding with a counter left. A follow-up right hook missed the mark, though momentum was squarely with Ramos as the action headed down the stretch.
Ramos found frequent success with lead left hooks in the early portion of the 10th. Mosley struggled to adjust and didn’t have an immediate response. Ramos used constant lateral movement to befuddle Mosley and catch him from all angles. By comparison, Mosley became very heavy-footed, though he managed a clean right hand inside the final 15 seconds.
In the closest moment that either fighter came to being stopped, Mosley was in trouble midway through the 11th round. Ramos connected with a left hand over Mosley’s guard and then battered the second-generation boxer with a barrage of power shots. A quick reset saw Ramos drive home a left uppercut to the body before he went back on the attack. Mosley showed a sturdy beard, but his offense was slowed to a crawl by this point.
Ramos wisely used distance to his advantage in the 12th and final round. He never ran or came close to it, but was always just out of Mosley’s effective punching range. The left hand continued to be money for Ramos, who relied on bobbing and weaving on the occasions when Mosley was able to close his gap and launch right hands and left hooks.
Ramos connected on 281 of 613 total punches (45.8 per cent), compared to 219 of 573 (38.2 per cent) for Mosley, according to Compubox.
Ramos claimed his fourth consecutive victory since a questionable, 12-round points loss to Erickson Lubin in September 2023. More importantly to his growth, the fight was his third of 2025, his busiest campaign since he racked up a trio of wins in 2022.
Mosley, 22-5 (12 KOs), snapped a five-fight win streak with the setback. The silver lining is that it was a “good defeat” as he proved himself to be at least competitive on the contender stage.
The victory by Ramos theoretically puts him in line for a shot at WBC 160lbs titlist Carlos Adames, though by no means will that fight be next. Adames is overdue to face mandatory challenger Meiirim Nursultanov, as ordered by the WBC.
Ramos is also ranked by the WBO at 154lbs and now has several options for his next fight.
Ramos-Mosley opened a four-fight pay-per-view event. Headlining the show, secondary WBC 140lbs titlist Isaac Cruz defends against Lamont Roach Jnr.
