LUIS RAMOS Vital Statistics: Age: 21 Hometown: Santa Ana, Calif. Weight class: lightweight Height / reach: 5-8 / 65½ Amateur record: 104-16 (reported) Turned pro: 2008 Pro record: 11-0, 6 knockouts Trainer: Hector Lopez Manager: Frank Espinoza Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions Best night of pro career: Outboxed, frustrated and broke down experienced journeyman Baudel Cardenas (18-16-2, 6 KOs) to score an impressive fifth-round knockout in his last bout, on June 11. Cardenas loses more than he wins, but the Los Mochis, Mexico, native is a game opponent who had gone the distance with prospects like Vicente Escobedo and contenders like Fernando Beltran Jr. and Francisco Lorenzo in competitive bouts. Ramos controlled Cardenas using a combination of in-and-out movement and sharp shooting, which included a straight left to the body that dropped the journeyman in the first round and a devastating counter right hook that put him down for the count. Worst night of pro career: After winning his first two pro bouts by first-round knockout, Ramos was taken the four-round distance by Daniel Lorenzana (2-2, 1 KO) in his third pro bout last February. His trainer Hector Lopez called the unanimous (three scores of 40-36) decision win an average performance for Ramos, who was cut for the first time during the fight. Perhaps the blood bothered Ramos enough to keep him from putting together a complete offense. He was able to catch and repeatedly hurt Lorenzana with power punches but he did not set them up with his jab or work the body as he usually does. Next fight: Takes on journeyman Sandro Marcos (27-19-2, 23 KOs) in the six-round co-feature on the second "Fight Night Club" card from Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 30. The bout will be televised on the Versus cable network in the U.S. and streamed live on RingTV.com, with a link at Yahoo! Sports. Why hes a prospect: Versatility. The former amateur strandout can box or slug with equal effectiveness. He can stalk an opponent or stick and move around him. Ramos possesses a wide offensive arsenal that includes an educated southpaw jab, a lightning bolt of a straight left and a right hook that often finishes his opponents. Hes also a very good body puncher. Ramos is careful and calculating with his offense, seldom opening himself up when he attacks. Why hes a suspect: Like most fighters with less than 12 fights his chin has yet to be tested. And although Ramos has already faced two grizzled veterans in Cardenas and Anthony Martinez in his 1½-year pro career, hes still relatively untested as a prospect. Martinez, who Ramos outpointed over four rounds in March, had 52 pro bouts going into that fight but the 36-year-old journeyman had lost six consecutive bouts. Cardenas, a veteran of 36 bouts, had dropped seven of his last eight going into his bout with Ramos. Both journeymen were still game, but neither had scored a significant victory in years prior to fighting Ramos. Story lines: Ramos says his main motivation for success in the ring is to take care of his parents, who raised him to be the humble, upstanding citizen he is. Ramos father, Luis Sr., does so much overtime -- working at a clothing store and then cleaning cars at a rental car company -- in order to make ends meet he hardly sees him. His mother, Araminta, also worked two jobs until she suffered a stroke recently. The Ramoses are currently facing foreclosure on their home in Santa Ana because they cant make the payments. Ramos says he dreams of the day he can afford to buy his parents a home. He took one step toward that selfless goal when he signed with Golden Boy Promotions this month. http://www.ringtv.com/blog/932/new_faces_luis_ramos_jr/
