By Ryan Burton
 
WBA super bantamweight champion Rico Ramos is currently in Las Vegas finishing up his training camp for his January 20th showdown with mandatory challenger Guillermo Rigondeaux.  The fight also takes place in Las Vegas, at The Palms Hotel and Casino.  The original plan was for the fight to take place on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito undercard this past December.  A misunderstanding with the purse being offered by Top Rank caused the fight to be scratched from that card and sent to a purse bid. 

The fight was then rescheduled for December 31, but scratched once again when the main event between Tavoris Cloud and Zsolt Erdei fell apart and the entire card was canceled. Showtime found a new date for the fight and plans to broadcast the clash as a special edition of ShoBox.
 
BoxingScene.com was on hand at the Mayweather Boxing Club for one of Ramos' recent training sessions. Ramos said that he continued to stay in the gym despite the postponements and that he would be ready to go on January 20th.
 
"I have been in the gym training hard," stated Ramos.  "I didn't take a break.  I just stayed in the gym.  I am feeling good and I can't wait till January 20th."
 
Ramos has enlisted the services of a variety of sparring partners including top prospects Diego and Jessie Magdaleno to help him prepare for his left handed adversary.  The fighter of Puerto Rican descent is unfazed by the fact that Rigondeaux has over 400 amateur fights and is a two time Olympic gold medalist. In fact Ramos relishes the fact that he is the underdog.
 
"I have sparred with Jessie Magdaleno and his brother Diego.  I am sparring with Jessie again [on Wednesday].  He has a fight coming up too," Ramos told BoxingScene.
 
"It doesn't bother me that I am the underdog.  All of those amateur fights aren't going to make a difference when we fight.  I know that on January 20th I am going to win."
 
Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com Follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter and tune in to The Boxing Lab, Boxingscene's official audio on Tuesdays. The show is hosted by Ernie Gabion, Luis Sandoval and Ryan Burton