By Jake Donovan

It’s familiar surroundings for the most part for undefeated welterweight prospect Mike Jones, who faces Juliano Ramos in the main event of a seven-fight card Friday night at the New Alhambra in Philadelphia, PA. The venue has served host to all but four of Jones’ pro fights, with tonight’s fight marking the second time he plays the arena in 2008.

The only thing that changes is who calls the action from ringside, and in what language. Jones makes his second appearance on the Telefutura Solo Boxeo circuit, but his first as a headliner in this week’s telecast (Friday 8PM ET/PT).

Nicknamed “The Machine Gun,” Jones (14-0, 12KO) launched an all-out assault on anyone in his way as he made the transition from newcomer to budding welterweight prospect. Most of the early wins came against the usual suspects, but still enough to where you can gauge whether or not a superior skill level exists.

The early returns – Jones had skills, and punching power to match. It took the Philly welterweight ten fights to accumulate 20 total rounds as a professional. Seven of those rounds came in back-to-back summer fights in 2007, both against what represented his two toughest opponents to that point in Doel Carrasquillo and Martinus Clay.

The former bout was Jones’ first on American television, fighting in the co-feature slot of a July ’07 Telefutura telecast. Carrasquillo was known, and has since re-established himself, as a durable spoiler, winning some, losing others, but almost always going rounds.

Against Jones, he couldn’t make it out of the second. The Puerto Rican had his moments, enough to prove that Jones boasted a chin. But the rest of his brief night was spent absorbing a non-stop barrage of jabs and combinations upstairs, breaking and bloodying his nose to where he was forced to quit on his stool after just six minutes.

The stoppage was Jones’ ninth straight in as many fights, none lasting beyond the third round. Hall of Fame promoter J. Russell Peltz realized that a stiffer test was in order, thus bringing in serviceable journeyman Martinus Clay.

Even in boasting an upside-down record and entering the fight having not won in over a year, Clay earned a reputation for giving his opponents a solid workout, going the distance with several undefeated prospects and budding contenders. He failed to make it to the final bell against Andre Berto, but still took the Olympian further than he’d ever been to that point in his career before Clay’s corner pulled the plug early in the seventh.

Clay was forced to settle for that same moral victory three months later, taking Jones into the fifth round, two more than any other fighter had extended the boxer-puncher. Where he went the same as the rest was in failing to win a single round, with Jones dominating before stopping the veteran.

Two fights later, Jones landed the biggest name on his resume, when he faced comebacking former contender Israel “Pito” Cardona. Experience had nothing on youth, as Jones effectively mixed boxing and power in beating Cardona to a pulp before forcing referee intervention midway through the third round.

It was at that point his handlers realized that he was ready for prime time. His ESPN2 Friday Night Fights debut would follow, his first fight of 2008.

It was also the first time he would be extended the distance and was forced to overcome adversity, rallying late to eventually squeak past Germaine Sanders in their eight-round televised co-feature in Salamanca, New York. Sanders was coming off of a surprisingly strong showing in a losing bid against Jesus Soto Karass and fought Jones as if his prior performance provided an extra pep in his step. Jones was hurt and fell behind early, to where it took for his winning the final two rounds to pull out a 78-74 verdict on all three scorecards.  

His lone fight since then was perhaps his most complete performance, even if resulting in his second straight distance fight. Jones dominated just about every step of the way in pitching a shutout against Gilbert Venegas this past May. All that was missing were knockdowns, though it’s hardly to be expected of Venegas, whose lone stoppage loss of his career came via cuts.

Still, it will take more knockouts for Jones to remain affixed in the minds of boxing fans in search of new blood admist a sport that as of late has become guilty of recycling the same old – and in many cases, used up – talent.

Enter Juliano Ramos (15-1-0-1 NC, 12KO), a hard-hitting Brazilian, but who’s spent all of his career at or just outside the junior welterweight limit. His lone bout at welterweight came against fellow career 140 lb. fighter Jose Angel Roman, initially resulting in his second straight loss before being changed to a no-contest after Roman failed the post-fight drug test.

Drug-influenced or not, the fight deemed Ramos an ideal opponent on both sides of the equation – a hard puncher with a soft chin. That very combination makes such a fighter a fixture in every matchmaker’s rolodex, knowing that fireworks will be on display for as long as the fight will last.

Jones’ chin will perhaps get touched in this fight, possibly in the early going. But in Ramos, he has an opponent that will remain within punching range, which should result in his first knockout of 2008, thus bringing things back to old times – even if in a different language.

Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.