Undefeated contenders Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. and Elijah Garcia both got a taste of the limelight and a chance to show off their fastballs on Friday night as the southpaws threw out the ceremonial first pitch together at Chase Field before they throw down on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo SHOWTIME PPV undercard (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) Saturday, September 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo Promotions will present the Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view. Alvarez defends his super middleweight undisputed championship against undisputed junior middleweight champion Charlo in the first-ever matchup of reigning, male four-belt champions.
Ramos will face dangerous contender Erickson “Hammer” Lubin in the super welterweight co-main event on September 30, while Garcia faces hard-hitting Armando Reséndiz in a 10-round middleweight attraction to open the pay-per-view. On Friday, Ramos and Garcia displayed their pitching skills from the mound before the Arizona Diamondbacks hosted the Chicago Cubs. The two Arizonians kicked off Hispanic Heritage Weekend at the ballpark with a day full of activities that promoted their respective upcoming fights, as well as their Hispanic heritage and Mexican American roots on the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day.
Ramos and Garcia met with some of the Diamondback players and had a jersey/glove exchange before the first pitch with D-backs skipper and 2017 National League Manager of the Year Torey Lovullo. They both also interacted with Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas, who represented Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and D-backs legend Luis Gonzalez.
Earlier in the day, Ramos visited the CBS affiliate in Phoenix for a sit-down interview with sports anchor Mark McClune to preview his matchup with Lubin.
Here is what Ramos and Garcia had to say about their busy day on Friday:
JESUS RAMOS JR.
“The whole experience was really cool. I practiced the whole week for this!
“I had never done something like this before, and it was a lot of fun. I want to thank the Diamondbacks for this amazing opportunity.
“The D-backs had a must-win game against the Cubs tonight, and they look focused on making their playoff run, just like I’m focused on getting a win on September 30 on SHOWTIME PPV.”
ELIJAH GARCIA
“This was an amazing experience. Thanks to the Diamondbacks for this unforgettable first pitch. The crowd here at Chase Field was electric, just like the one on September 30 will be in Las Vegas.
“I love baseball, and to do this tonight was a dream come true. Now, I get to work on the biggest dream, which is taking another step towards a world title by dominating on September 30.”
