Rico Ramos Set for Showdown With Shimoda

An overlooked bout happening this Saturday is one between WBA 122 pound champion Akifumi Shimoda and challenger Rico Ramos, who vies for his first world title in only his third year as a pro. I've covered Ramos closely since he turned pro in San Jose, California in March of 2008 and he is the only fighter I felt could be a future pound-for-pound entrant after one look since I began covering the sport.

Here is my in-depth piece on Ramos' road to his first title shot as well as information on his little known Japanese opponent Shimoda. Can Shimoda imitate fellow countryman Nobuhiro Ishida and overcome having to travel halfway across the globe?

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Ramos Set for Showdown With Shimoda
Mark Ortega
Lead writer, leave-it-in-the-ring.com

I don't usually like to inject myself into a story of mine, but rules are meant to be broken.

I've seen fifteen of his nineteen professional fights, nine of them in a ringside capacity. That has been no coincidence.

When I first saw unbeaten super bantamweight Rico Ramos turn pro just more than three years ago, I knew I was watching something that had the potential to be very special.

Even at twenty years old and against a non descript opponent, I felt that Ramos had the tools necessary to not only be a world champion, but a future pound-for-pound entrant.

Now set to contend for his first world title as he meets WBA 122-pound champion Akifumi Shimoda this Saturday in the opening televised bout of HBO Boxing After, my predictions are at a point where they have a chance of coming true.

Having only began to attend fights in the press capacity a month prior, Ramos was the first fighter I saw that instantly left this kind of impact on me.
He was also the last.

In that four round bout in March of 2008 against Sammy Yniguez, Ramos did not knock his opponent out. He did however fight with the poise of a capable veteran, not that of a young fighter not yet old enough to drink making his introduction into the paid ranks.

His amateur credentials could have suggested that he would attain success at the next level. He was an Olympic alternate and winner of the 2007 national PAL championship en route to a recorded 97-17 mark.

But often fighters with such storied success at that level don't achieve the same way when it gets more complex and when there is more on the line.


A fighter who has been fighting since they were 8 years old the way Ramos [19-0, 10 KOs] has can often get burnt out on boxing or get lazy the way that prized blue chip Golden Boy Promotions prospect Frankie Gomez did after receiving a six-figure signing bonus.

At twenty years old and boxing for a living, many are not emotionally mature enough to handle their business when boxing becomes their source of income. Supposed can't miss prospect Ricardo Williams, Jr. could not manage himself once signing his big bonus with Lou DiBella following his silver medal in the 2000 Olympics. Williams ultimately did not take it seriously, fighting two or three divisions out of his preferred weight class until he ultimately suffered a setback against a .500 journeyman Juan “El Pollo” Valenzuela on HBO and then later found himself in jail in a drug related crime.

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Shimoda is almost a 2-1 underdog to retain his belt. Though you're right its not the same as Ishida who was about 20-1.

 

Ramos down 6-0 and 5-1 x2 on the cards scoring a one-punch knockout. That's what you want to see from a young fighter in a pivotal moment after struggling.