By Jake Donovan
The one thing that Rico Ramos wanted more than anything else was to look better than he had in any of his previously televised appearances.
Mission accomplished and then some.
A single right hand sent home the crowd early and happy, as Ramos scored a highlight reel second round knockout of battle tested veteran Heriberto Ruiz on Monday night at the Corrosion Hangar in Camp LeJuene, North Carolina.
The bout served as the main event on a special edition of ESPN2 Monday Night Fights.
Not known as a knockout artist, Ramos came out boxing in the opening round, though not always to the pleasure of the rabid Marine Corps crowd on hand, who was hoping for something more violent.
If only they were as patient with their reaction as Ramos was with his approach.
Ramos kept it measured in the early portions of the second, but not for the sake of boxing. He saw a reveal in the opening round, and was hoping to exploit it in the way of a big shot.
That moment would come early in the round, when Ramos connected with a corker of a straight right hand, perfectly placed over Ruiz’ looping right that never came close to landing. Ramos’ shot scored in a big way, tagging Ruiz on the chin and forcing the Mexican to pitch forward face-first to the canvas.
The count was interrupted mid-stream before the bout was waved off while Ruiz was still on the canvas. The official time was 1:13 of the second round.
Few of today’s current young prospects can claim to enjoy as successful a career progression as Ramos. The Los Angelino improves (in every sense of the word) to 18-0 (10KO), scoring his fourth win of 2010. Three of the bouts came on national television, with this being by far his best performance.
“It’s a dream come true (to be on national television) and deliver a performance like this,” Ramos said of the knockout, which is sure to be discussed come year-end awards time.
While Ramos racks up a time-capsule moment, Ruiz is forced to endure his quickest exit as a pro. He heads home to Mexico with his two-fight win streak snapped as he falls to 44-10-2 (26KO).
Though boasting 38 fewer fights and 12 less years in service, Ramos still had the wherewithal to know when to box and when to unload. The plan was simply to win and look good doing so, not necessarily improving on his KO to win ratio. It’s just the way it turned out.
“I noticed he was coming in with his head down. That’s when I threw the right hand over his. I wasn’t looking for the right hand; I wanted to go to the body more. I (saw) the opening and went for it.”
The calculation paid off in a big way, although the flip side with his career progression is that this will probably be his last fight on this level. Highly ranked by all four sanctioning bodies, it’s clear that 2011 will bring forth the type of fights that will lead towards a title shot.
Ever the humble warrior, Ramos is content with whatever is presented to him. Line ‘em up and he’ll send ‘em home.
“(I’ll fight) anybody… whatever comes.”
When pressed for a specific target, Ramos didn’t hold back, shooting straight for the stars.
“JuanMa!”
Gotta love his ambition.
In the televised co-feature, Shawn Estrada preserved his unbeaten record but was forced to go the distance for the first time as a pro in taking a six-round unanimous decision over Tony Hirsch.
Estrada, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic boxing squad, came out with both guns blazing, taking the fight to Hirsch. The lone knockdown of the bout came in the opening round, with Estrada following up a straight right hand with a clean-up left hook to send Hirsch to the canvas.
The pace set in the opening round suggested more of the same that Estrada has experienced as a pro, having previously never been taken deeper than seconds into the third round. However, Hirsch overcame the early bum rush and – on the advice of his own corner – turned the bout into a street fight, roughing up Estrada with borderline dirty tactics that drew warnings from referee Bill Clancy.
As the bout crept past the third round, Estrada was entering unchartered waters on two fronts – seeing the fourth round for the first time in his career, as well as having to deal with a cut outside of his eye.
The 25 year-old pulled himself together and closed the bout strong, regaining control over the final two rounds to remain unbeaten through his first ten bouts as a pro.
Scores were 58-55 and 59-54 (twice) for Estrada, who moves to 10-0 (9KO) with the win. Hirsch snaps a three fight win streak as he falls to 12-4-1 (6KO).
The bout was likely the last time in 2010 that Estrada will step into the ring. However, his name remains in the headlines, calling out former amateur rivals James DeGale and Danny Jacobs.
Estrada and DeGale squared off in the 2008 Summer Olympics, with DeGale taking a decision en route to capturing Olympic gold. Both are enjoying successful runs in the prospect stage of their respective careers, and Estrada would love nothing more than to avenge his last in-ring loss.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
