It was just a couple of months ago on the undercard of the big fight of the year, Pacquiao vs. Mosley, super bantamweights Jorge Arce and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. stole the show with an exciting 12 round fight. On July 9th, the rising talents of the 122 lb division will be on display again, as Rico Ramos fights for his first world championship against the tough Akifumi Shimoda.
Born in Pico Rivera, California and of Puerto Rican descent, Rico Ramos will be the first to tell you that where he lives, Puerto Ricans are not the usual occurrence. “Not that many, really, none at all, they’re all at New York or Florida,” says Ramos about his home town of Pico Rivera. Yet that doesn’t stop him of dreaming big, in becoming a world champion and becoming a star in the New York Puerto Rican day parade, a feat the likes of Tito Trinidad, Miguel Cotto and most recently Juan Manuel Lopez have reached. “I will get there, all I gotta do is keep training and keep winning and I’ll get there to the top. I just want it so bad,” said Ramos.
Ramos will get his first shot at accomplishing his dreams with his stiffest test yet, challenging Akifumi Shimoda for the WBA Jr. Featherweight Championship. Even though this is Ramos’s first title shot, he’s still entering with the same confidence his previous 19 opponents saw across the ring.
“Shimoda is the best southpaw and best guy that I’m gonna fight, but it gives me a lot of confidence that I’ve fought a couple of southpaws already,” said Ramos. He’s gonna need all that confidence and more, as Shimoda is recently coming off a dominating performance against fellow top 10 super bantamweight Ryol Li Lee, knocking him down 3 times in the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory.
“I’m ready for anything, whoever they bring me at 122, I’m ready. This is my life, my career and this is what I was born to do” stated Ramos.
The Rico Ramos vs. Akifumi Shimoda will air on HBO as the co-feature to the Paul Williams vs. Erislandry Lara fight on July 9th. Indeed, if Ramos wants to become an eventual star and the next Puerto Rican great, he’s certainly being given the stage to do it. HBO BAD has been the launching point for many stars of boxing, including some of the sport’s biggest Puerto Rican names, and it could be the beginning of a star-turn for Ramos who is getting his first major exposure.
Ramos vs. Shimoda Prediction & Analysis
This is a very good and exciting fight, and the winner will be in even better position in the increasingly competitive super bantamweight scene. Shimoda is more the traditional boxer, working behind the 1-2 combination, while Ramos likes to use footwork and work from the inside.
Since Ramos’s last fight was against a southpaw, and he has fought a couple of more throughout his career I don’t expect that to be a factor. While Shimoda is a good fighter, I believe that Ramos is more versatile, has better footwork, uses both his hands well, can fight from the inside or outside and has superior athleticism. Shimoda, like I said, fights behind the 1-2 combination, but when he throws the left straight more often than not he lunges forward with the effort.
I expect Ramos to capitalize on this, landing his right uppercut or the check left hook. Ramos should come out of this fight victorious, while I don’t think he’ll stop Akifumi, I do think he’ll be able to knock him down in the early rounds on the way to a unanimous decision and his first world title.
