WBA Champ Ortiz Wins Decision Over Ramos in Mexico City
By Cliff Rold
30-year old WBA women’s Minimumweight titlist Anabel Ortiz (24-3, 4 KO), 108, of Mexico City, Mexico, won her fourteenth fight in a row in the non-title main event Saturday night at the Deportivo Benito Juárez in Mexico City, winning a ten-round decision over Brenda Ramos (9-5, 4 KO), of Monterrey, Mexico. It was Ramos’ third loss in four starts. The referee was Lupe Garcia.
Ortiz was the classier of the two from the start, leading off a sharp left jab and leaving Ramos to react to her combinations. Ramos has some success early, working aggressively and bringing the fight to Ortiz. It wasn’t enough as the fight wore on. Ortiz kept her stiff jab working off the back foot, letting Ramos walk into traps and bloodying her nose.
In the clinches, Ortiz wasn’t above working in some roughhousing. Ramos remained game to the end but couldn’t quite figure out the better punching accuracy of Ortiz.
The scores came in clear and wide for Ortiz at 97-93 twice and 99-91. Ortiz came in off a successful title defense in October and has held her crown since July 2013 with eight defenses to date. She is also a former WBC titlist at 105 lbs. Her last defeat came in an attempt to lift the WBA and WBO 108 lb. titles from Yessica Bopp.
Undefeated since a decision loss in his sixth pro start in 2012, 22-year old Jr. featherweight Emmanuel Navarrete (18-1, 15 KO), 122, of Distrito Federal, Mexico, kept his winning momentum with a sixth round stoppage of 23-year old Dennis Contreras (20-7, 19 KO).
If Contreras goes home feeling he got an early hook from referee Helacio Perez, he’d have an argument.
Navarrete was well on his way to victory after five rounds of action, outworking and outlanding Contreras. Both eyes of Contreras showed the damage.
In the first minute of the sixth, Contreras was trapped on the ropes and under heavy fire. He slipped a number of shots but the steady stream pouring in meant plenty of leather landing. Contreras was still alert, defending himself, and punching back when Perez stepped in to halt the action. Contreras argued the call but the result was official at :50 of round six.
The card was televised in the US on BeIn Espanol, promoted by Zanfer.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com