Fight Week: Jose Ramirez to make his return against veteran Rances Barthelemy

FIGHT WEEK

Junior welterweight contender Jose Ramirez is set to return from a 13-month layoff against veteran Rances Barthelemy on Saturday in Fresno, California.

JOSE RAMIREZ (28-1, 18 KOs)
VS. RANCES BARTHELEMY (30-2-1, 15 KOs)

• Date: Saturday, April 27
• Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
• Where: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
• TV/Stream: DAZN
• Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
• At stake: No major titles
• Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
• Odds: NA
• Significance (up to five stars): ***
• Also on the card: Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Thomas Dulorme, junior middleweights; Oscar Duarte vs. Joseph Diaz Jr., junior welterweights; Marlen Esparza vs. Gabriela Alaniz, flyweights (for Esparza’s WBA, WBC and WBO titles); Raul Curiel vs. Jorge Marron Jr., welterweights
• Background: Ramirez, a 31-year-old former unified 140-pound titleholder, has fought only once in more than two years and hasn’t been in the ring for 13 months. The 2012 U.S. Olympian has won consecutive fights since he lost his belts to Josh Taylor by a close, but unanimous decision in May 2021. He bounced back to outpoint Jose Pedraza the following March and then stopped Richard Commey in 11 rounds in March of last year. He will be fighting in front of a friendly crowd in Fresno, which is near his hometown of Avenal. He also will be competing for new promoter Golden Boy for the first time. Barthelemy, 37, is a former two-division titleholder but hasn’t worn a major belt in almost eight years. The Las Vegas-based Cuban also has been relatively inactive, having fought only twice since November 2021. He suffered a significant setback when he was stopped by Gary Antuanne Russell in July 2022 but rebounded to defeat Omar Juarez by a unanimous decision in May of last year. Also on the card, 154-pound contender Vergil Ortiz (20-0, 20 KOs) continues his comeback from health issues. He ended a layoff at 17 months when he stopped Fredrick Lawson in the first round this past January. Thomas Dulorme (26-6-1, 17 KOs) is fighting to stay relevant at 34 after a 21-month layoff. The one-time title challenger from Puerto Rico lost to top 147-pounders Jamal James, Eimantas Stanionis and Jaron Ennis in 2020 and 2021 before winning his most recent fight, a third-round knockout of journeyman Abraham Peralta in July 2022.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY

• Marques Valle vs. Damian Sosa, junior middleweights, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV)

FRIDAY

• Yoenis Tellez vs. Joseph Jackson, junior middleweights, Orlando, Florida (DAZN)

SATURDAY

• Peter McGrail vs. Marc Leach, junior featherweights, Liverpool, England (DAZN)
• Andrew Tabiti vs. Junior Wright, heavyweights, Philadelphia (BLK Prime PPV)
• Maria Guadalupe Bautista vs. Sara Haghighat Joo, junior flyweights (for Bautista’s WBA title), Toronto (no TV in U.S.)