Jose Ramirez Pumped To Showcase Skills For Hometown Fans
By Francisco Salazar
Unbeaten junior welterweight Jose Ramirez will face Tomas Mendez Saturday night.
Ramirez understands the opposition will be more challenging in years to come, especially if he wants to fulfill his goal of winning a world title belt.
But there is one foe Ramirez admits may have the most difficult he has faced: Working in the agricultural fields of California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Working under the hot sun in 100-degree weather or in mud after a lengthy period of rain, it was something Ramirez came to know at an early age.
Ramirez also saw the sacrifices his father would make every single day toiling in the fields to put food on the table at their Avenal, Calif. home.
While Ramirez no longer needs to work in the fields, he applies his craft in a ring, even sparring against some of the top fighters in the game.
Ramirez faces off against Mendez at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. The 10 round bout will headline a Top Rank card and will air on UniMas, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/ PT.
Ramirez (17-0, 12 KOs) scored an impressive win over gatekeeper Manuel Perez on Apr. 9 in Las Vegas, Nev. Ramirez-Perez was the opening bout of the HBO Pay Per View broadcast that was headlined by the rubber match between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley.
The 23-year-old Ramirez, who represented the United States in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, will be fighting before familiar faces on Saturday. The venue is located about a half hour’s drive from his hometown of Avenal.
“I’m happy to come home and be able to bring a big fight to where I live,” said Ramirez in the lead up to the fight.
Mendez (21-7, 14 KOs) may have lost two of his last three fights, but Ramirez may receive a ranking in the top 10 by the WBC if he wins impressively on Saturday.
Ramirez holds a regional title belt through the WBC.
Ramirez still has a ways to fight the top tier of the division, but he has improved as a fighter. He has sparred against the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Viktor Postol, and Miguel Cotto while training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif.
The grueling hours spent in a gym may seem overbearing to many, but seem like a walk in the park to Ramirez when comparing to what life was as a kid having to help his father work in the fields.
The life of the fieldworker is still in the heart and mind of Ramirez, who campaigns for the Latino Water Coalition, which addresses the water issues growers in the San Joaquin Valley have to deal with.
“No water means no crops,” Ramirez said in a previous interview with Boxingscene.com. “No crops means that these workers don’t have a job.”
Ramirez has spoken at the Capitol building in Sacramento to address this issue, something that has impressed promoter Bob Arum.
“I am sure all of the fans from the Central (San Joaquin) Valley will continue to support this great athlete and the special person Jose is,” said Arum.
Ramirez does attract a crowd in the area. He has sold out Selland Arena in Fresno and drew over 12,000 fans to the new Save Mart Center in Fresno for his Dec. 5 bout against Johnny Garcia.
It would be a dream come true for Ramirez if he is able to win a world title belt, but to defend it in the Fresno area.
For now, Ramirez’s focus is on Tomas Mendez.
“I really felt strong in camp. I have not felt like this in a long time.”
“I cannot wait to get into the ring Saturday night. It is always great to fight before your hometown fans in (the) Tachi Palace.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
