Robeisy Ramirez wants a featherweight title shot, and “El Tren” may get it soon. The two-time Olympic gold medalist steamrolled late replacement Jose Matias Romero (26-3, 9 KOs) via ninth-round TKO to retain his USBA belt.
Ramirez had his man his trouble in the first and seventh rounds, but the Argentina native refused to relent.
Robeisy Ramirez
In the ninth, Ramirez uncorked a left hand that staggered Romero and ended the one-way carnage.
Ramirez outlanded Romero in power punches, 129-32, including a 19-3 advantage in the ninth round. He is now targeting a featherweight world title shot in early 2023.
“We know that Matias is a fighter who is slick, who knows how to survive inside the ring, and that was his plan. I hurt him early, but we tried to get him out early.
“And then, Ismael Salas, who is my strategist. He is a chess master. He’s moving the pieces in there, and finally, we were able to do it properly and get him out of there,” Ramirez said.
“I think the result speaks for itself. I got the stoppage and sent a message.
“In the end, if [Emanuel] Navarrete is no longer the champion at 126 pounds, if he’s fighting Oscar Valdez for the championship at 130 pounds, then I got next at 126, and I want that belt.”
Torrez and Ali Walsh
Heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs) stopped Ahmed Hefny (13-3, 5 KOs) in three in the evening’s final preliminary bout.
Torrez joined his Olympic teammates in the win column.
After a second-round stoppage and a pair of first-round knockouts to start his pro career, Torrez saw the third round for the first time.
Hefny was knocked down with a left hand in the second, and the onslaught continued in the third until referee Arthur Mercante stepped in.
At middleweight, Nico Ali Walsh (7-0, 5 KOs) scored a decision win over Billy Wagner (5-3, 1 KO).
At the end of six rounds, scores red 58-56 2x and 59-55.
Ali Walsh received a lot of resistance from Montana native Wagner, who weathered an early storm. He even appeared to stun the grandson of “The Greatest” at the end of the second round.
Wagner could not sustain his early success, as Ali Walsh pressed forward in the final two rounds to secure the narrow victory.
Other results:
Featherweight: Duke Ragan (8-0, 1 KO) UD Luis Lebron (18-5-1, 11 KOs), Scores: 79-73, 78-74, and 77-75.
U.S. Olympic silver medalist Ragan did what he does best. He used his well-schooled defense to offset his hard-charging foe.
Lebron, the Puerto Rican power puncher, was never deterred, if not effective.
The Garden crowd booed the verdict, but Cincinnati’s Ragan did more than enough to seal the victory on the judges’ cards.
Middleweight: Troy Isley (8-0, 4 KOs) UD 8 Quincy Lavallais (14-4-1, 9 KOs), Scores: 80-72 2x and 79-73.
Isley passed his first eight-round test with flying colors, nearly shutting out Lavallais, a six-year pro known for his iron chin.
Junior Welterweight: Tiger Johnson (6-0, 4 KOs) UD 6 Esteban Garcia (15-2, 7 KOs), Scores: 60-54 3x.
Johnson’s three-bout knockout streak ended, but the Tokyo 2020 U.S. Olympian gained much-needed experience going the six-round distance for the first time in his career.
Junior Lightweight: Haven Brady Jr. (8-0, 4 KOs) UD 8 Eric Mondragon (7-1-1, 4 KOs), Scores: 79-73 2x and 78-74.
In a battle of unbeatens, Brady authored the most significant win of his career, picking apart the California-born Mondragon with an assortment of jabs and uppercuts.
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