John Ramirez gains rounds in UD win over Luis Padilla
Junior bantamweight John Ramirez did not come through on his promise of knocking out Luis Padilla but was glad to earn valuable rounds to prepare him for future fights.
Ramirez defeated Padilla by unanimous decision over 10 one-sided rounds, Thursday night, at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino, in Indio, California. Scores were 99-91 twice and 100-90 for Ramirez, who improved to 11-0, 8 knockouts.
The 26-year-old utilized his reach, strength and size to outbox Padilla and dictate the pace of the fight. Padilla was game, finding some success on the inside but Ramirez connected with several right hands to Padilla’s head.
During the middle rounds, Padilla attempted to initiate exchanges but Ramirez timed him, connecting with several counter left hooks or right crosses upstairs.
“This wasn’t a tough fight for me,” said Ramirez after the fight. “He wasn’t on my level. I made sure that the fight wasn’t boring for the fans here and made it entertaining as possible. Even though I give myself a C for my performance, because I should have never gotten hit, I was willing to take a gamble. I want the [WBA title] eliminator next.”
Padilla, who resides in Guadalajara, Mexico, falls to 15-4-2, 2 KOs. The 22-year-old has now lost three of his last five bouts.
In the junior featherweight co-feature, Manuel Robles, of nearby Coachella, remained unbeaten, defeating Franklin Gonzalez by split decision. One judge scored the bout 76-75 for Gonzalez, while the other two judges scored the bout 77-74 for Robles, who improved to 15-0, 11 KOs.
The taller Robles was the more effective fighter from the opening round, outboxing Gonzalez from distance. By the third round, Gonzalez was able to close the distance between the two, connecting with a series of body punches and uppercuts to Robles’ head.
Midway through the fourth round, a left hook from Gonzalez almost dropped Robles, who maintained his balance, although it looked like he was going to drop to the canvas. Toward the end of the fifth round, Robles scored a knockdown over Gonzalez, although replays showed Robles inadvertently pulled down on Gonzalez’s back, forcing him to lose his balance.
Both fighters did well in spurts, although Robles was the more effective fighter. Sensing he was down on the scorecards, Robles looked spent, prompting Gonzalez to finish each of the last two rounds strong. Robles kept Gonzalez at bay but it did not come easy.
“This was a really good experience,” said Robles, who is trained by brothers Joel and Antonio Diaz. “I’ve never gone a full eight rounds before against a tough opponent like Gonzalez. That was a great test for me. I give myself a C-. I kept going to the head when his body was there. He was using some dirty tactics, like head-butting and such, but [in] the end, I’m glad we were able to get the victory.”
Gonzalez, who resides in Los Teques, Venezuela, drops to 25-2, 25 KOs.
Strawweight Katherine Lindenmuth, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, won by split decision over former title challenger Loraine Villalobos.
One judge scored the bout 58-56, while the other two judges scored the bout 58-56 and 59-55 for Lindenmuth, who goes to 3-1.
Both fighters had their moments but Lindermuth threw and landed more punches to Villabobos’ head and body.
Villalobos, who unsuccessfully challenged Yokasta Valle for the IBF title fight in her most recent bout, on June 11, drops to 5-5 (2 KOs).
In junior middleweight action, 18-year-old Grant Flores was successful in his professional debut, dropping Jorge Lopez (0-2) of Mexico once in the opening round before the fight was stopped at 2:35. Flores resides in nearby Thermal and is the younger cousin of Manny Robles.
Bantamweight Stefanie Cohen, of Miami, Florida, improved to 3-1-1 (1 KO), dropping Austin’s Leanne Calderon (1-3-1) once in the second round to win by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 38-37 in favor of Cohen.
In the opening bout of the Golden Boy Promotions card, heavyweight Zachary Spiller defeated Kaleel Carter (3-4, 3 KOs), of Bellflower, California, by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Spiller, who improved to 3-0 (2 KOs).
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com. You can follow Francisco on Twitter @FSalazarBoxing.
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