Julian Ramirez: I'm More Than Ready To Step Up
By Francisco Salazar
Some people are born to fight. Julian Ramirez might be one of them.
He is always in the gym. If he is not in the gym, he is watching one of his televised fights or other fights from the past.
If things went his way, Ramirez would box everyday.
But for him to have longevity in a sport where Mother Nature remains unbeaten, Ramirez will have to go to fighting every two, three, or four months.
He will make his 2015 debut tonight, when he faces Raul Hidalgo in a scheduled 10 round featherweight bout at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.
The bout will headline a five-bout Golden Boy Promotions card and will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports Deportes, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.
In his last bout on November 13, Ramirez stopped Pedro Mulo after the fourth round. Ramirez will face a veteran fighter tonight in Hidalgo who is very crafty and could use his experience to his advantage.
Ramirez (13-0, 8 KOs) is not overlooking Hidalgo.
"I know he (Hidalgo) has power and he is coming to win," Ramirez told Boxingscene over the phone recently. "He is going to come with everything he has. He's faced a lot of good fighters and he's going to do what he has to do to win. I'm not taking him lightly."
"I'm going to go in there and do what I have to do to win. If I have to box for 10 rounds, then that's what I have to do. If I see an opening, I'm going to take it. I like going for the knockouts."
The southpaw Ramirez does have power in each hand. Lately, he has learned to box more effectively, utilizing his ring generalship, and being first with a consistent jab.
It is something Golden Boy Promotions (his promoter) and Joel De La Hoya (his manager) have been pleased with as Ramirez will face more difficult challenges later this year and beyond.
Ramirez is eager at 22 years of age, believing he is ready to face the tougher challenges the sport has to offer. But he realizes he has to bide his time and be patient for those opportunities to arrive.
"I believe I'm more than ready to step up," said Ramirez, who resides in East Los Angeles. "I've sparred with many contenders and world champions in the past and I've held my own. I feel I am ready to step up, but I understand what they (Golden Boy & Joel De La Hoya) are doing. It'll be better for me in the long run. I have to be patient and I know my time will come."
Should he continue to develop well, that opportunity could come at the end of 2015, or more realistically next year.
Ramirez has a high ceiling where he could continue to develop and be a more well-rounded fighter. The difficulty in doing that is already solved as Ramirez is always training and learning from those on his team and in the gym.
"My family (in East Los Angeles or in Zacatecas, Mexico) want the best for me. I'm still the same kid to them."
"I try to be the best I could be. I work hard in the gym. I want to fight the best opponents out there."
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He could be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
