Tag: Cody Crowley
Jesus, Abel Ramos are ready to make statements on March 25
Unbeaten rising star Jesus “Mono” Ramos and veteran welterweight contender Abel Ramos held a media workout in Phoenix, Ariz., on Wednesday as the Casa Grande-natives prepare for their respective showdowns on the David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant SHOWTIME PPV® undercard on Saturday, March 25 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Jesus, Jr., will battle fellow unbeaten Joey Spencer in the 10-round super welterweight co-main event, while Abel will take on undefeated Cody Crowley in the pay-per-view telecast opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
At just 21-years-old, Jesus, Jr., (19-0, 15 KOs) has compiled an impressive record and achieved contender status by displaying potent power and boxing acumen heading into perhaps his toughest test to date against the unbeaten Spencer. For his uncle Abel (27-5-2, 21 KOs), March 25 is another opportunity for him to score a signature upset, having stopped former champion Omar Figueroa, Jr., in May 2021 in addition to a final round KO of Bryant Perrella in February 2020, turning the tide in a fight Abel trailed at the time of the stoppage.
Here is what Jesus Jr. and Abel had to say Wednesday from Central Boxing Gym in Phoenix:
JESUS RAMOS JR.
“This is a huge opportunity for me. I feel like so far in my career I’ve taken big steps and faced tough opponents, and this won’t be an exception. It’s going to be a great fight.
“I feel like I do a lot of things well. My reach, my conditioning, the body shots that I throw, it’s all going to be important on fight night.
“I’ve been working hard with my strength and conditioning coach. We’re working on being more explosive and throwing more punches. We want to really increase the pace of the fight.
“I feel even stronger now than before my last fight. We’ve had time to make the necessary adjustments, so my focus is better than ever. I’m ready for this.
“I do feel like I’ve fought on some big stages getting to this moment, but no matter what, I can’t let the size of the moment get to me. This is my childhood dream. Now it’s become a reality and on March 25 I’m going to enjoy every moment of it.
“Representing Arizona means a lot. There’s not a lot of athletes or big names coming out of Casa Grande. If I can bring a world title back to Casa Grande, that would mean everything to me. That’s the main goal. I want to pave the way for the next generation, not necessarily just in boxing, but whatever they dream of.
“This is going to be fireworks, and we’re here to win. Whatever it takes. We’re winning on the night. Ideally, it’s going to be a stoppage in the later rounds.
“I’m here to make the best fights, and the most entertaining fights as well. I’m here to stay.”
ABEL RAMOS
“I’m feeling really good. Training has been going great and I’m in top condition. We’re getting into those last couple weeks and getting everything sharpened up for the ring.
“I hope the fans get to see all the hard work that we put in here in Arizona pay off on March 25. I hope they appreciate the work ethic that we have and the excitement that we bring to boxing.
“Jesus, Jr., and I motivate each other. We’ve been training together for a long time and we motivate each other every day.
“We give each other pointers, but Jesus, Jr., is a kid who works hard. He doesn’t need much to get him going.
“The key for this fight is going to be to use the experience that I have and every trick that I know. I’m expecting an exciting fight.
“I’ve fought everybody since the beginning. I have a lot of rounds inside of the ring and I just have to make sure that I use everything I know in this fight.
“I really think that my resume and the opposition that I’ve fought, compared to Crowley, is going to be the biggest factor. I’ve got way more experience and it’s going to show on March 25. I’m predicting a win however it comes.”
Photos: Rhonda Costa/SHOWTIME
Donaire on body shot that stopped Gaballo: ‘My wife and my dad were telling me to go to the body’
WBC Bantamweight World Champion and future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire scored a fourth-round knockout over previously unbeaten Reymart Gaballo to successfully defend his title in the SHOWTIME main event Saturday night headlining a Premier Boxing Champions event from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
In an all-Filipino battle, Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) continued to build up his Hall of Fame resume, landing his signature left hook, this time to the body, to eventually end the fight. Gaballo (24-1, 20 KOs) came out employing a high guard, clearly working to avoid that vaunted left hook.
“I’ve been in this game for such a long time and I’ve had so many fights, I didn’t think I was going to have to feel him out,” said Donaire. “But he came out differently than I thought he would. He tried to nullify my left hook, but I just had to have no mercy.”
The four-division world champion in his second reign at 118 pounds, Donaire was able to remain patient as he searched for an opening for his preferred attack. Heeding the advice from his corner, Donaire found his spot for the left hook in the fourth round, connecting to the body and putting Gaballo down late in the round.
“My wife and my dad were telling me to go to the body,” said Donaire. “I had to set it up by bouncing up and down to open up that shot. I was throwing the right hand in the earlier rounds and then he didn’t expect the left hook to the body.”
While Gaballo was able to momentarily rise to his feet after the blow, he quickly retreated back to the floor, prompting referee Ray Corona to halt the bout 2:59 seconds into the round.
“I thought he was going to get up because I know he has a lot of heart, but that was a tremendous punch that landed,” said Donaire. “I just told him after the fight not to be down. Because he’s a great fighter. I had trouble figuring him out and I’m here to help him with anything he needs the rest of his career.”
With his first defense of the WBC title under his belt, the 39-year-old Donaire will now seek a rematch against unified bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue, after their 2019 Fight of the Year clash.
“It’s my team’s job to work on the rematch with Inoue,” said Donaire. “I believe my team is going to make it happen. I’m able to keep fighting at this age because I just have faith in myself and have a lifestyle that’s good for me. There is no such thing as a cheat day. It’s a choice day, and it’s my choice to train and to be me.”
In the co-main event, Cody Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) was able to overcome an early knockdown to defeat Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (18-1, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in a 10-round battle of unbeaten welterweight contenders.
“I rate my performance a ‘B’ tonight,” said Crowley. “He was a tough competitor, the former IBF No. 1 contender. I was going in the underdog so I knew I was going to have to bring the fight to him the whole time. I knew that he was going to run and stop and pop with awkward shots. I was prepared for that.”
The action-packed fight heated up early, as Crowley landed a powerful left hand in round two that appeared to buckle the knees of his opponent. However, the top-rated IBF contender Abdukakhorov was able to connect with a straight left power jab that landed flush on an unsuspecting Crowley and put him on the mat with 30 seconds left in the round.
“I have a granite chin,” said Crowley. “That was the first time I have been dropped. It’s the first time my knee has ever touched the canvas, in sparring or in a fight. But I was not hurt and I got right back up.”
Despite the knockdown, Crowley was undeterred and continued to impose his aggressive style, stalking Abdukakhorov around the ring and peppering him with shots to the body and right hooks to the head. Abdukakhorov was able to land powerful counter punches and held a 31% to 23% lead in punch accuracy, but was unable to overcome the nonstop activity from Crowley.
The Canadian Crowley threw 898 punches across the 10 rounds, out landing his opponent 206 to 123, including a 182 to 99 edge in power punches. Crowley closed the fight strong, landing over 20 power punches per round in each of the final four frames on his way to victory by the scores of 98-91, 97-92 and 96-94.
“When I come to fight it’s going to be a helluva fight,” said Crowley. “It’s going to be a dog fight and you are going to see blood. You are going to see guys go down.”
Unbeaten rising contender Brandun Lee (24-0, 22 KOs) delivered a spectacular seventh-round knockout over Juan Heraldez (16-2-1, 10 KOs) with a devastating straight right hand that ended their welterweight clash, marking the first time Lee has gone past four rounds as a pro.
“I have to watch the fight back but my dad (trainer Bobby Lee) didn’t like my performance,” said Lee. “He’s a perfectionist. Everyone here thought I would take Juan out earlier, but I wanted to show everyone I can box.”
The 22-year-old was impressive from the outset, landing a powerful stunning overhand right on Heraldez in round one that set the tone for the rest of the fight. Heraldez was able to have moments of success with counter left hooks and attempted to keep the powerful Lee away from him with jabs, throwing 129 throughout the fight.
After several closer rounds following the first, Lee began to pick up the pace again in round five, mixing in a body attack that quickly opened up Heraldez’s head for more power punches. By round seven, Lee had full control of the bout and was able to land the decisive blow, distracting Heraldez with a left hand before firing the straight right hand that put Heraldez down.
“I kept seeing that Juan was moving to his right and my right hand was coming up short,” said Lee. “So I knew I had to jab and box him and make him forget about that right hand. Then I made the adjustment in the seventh round and got him out of there.”
Referee Gerard White eventually waved off the count, halting the contest at 2:11 into the seventh round. This victory marked 15 consecutive knockouts for Lee as he continues his rise toward a possible world title shot.
“I’m ready for anyone,” said Lee. “It’s ultimately up to my team, but I say bring them on.”
Photo: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME