Former 130-pound titleholder from Dominican Republic drops 140-pound contender four times en route to a lopsided decision victory on PBC on FS1 Saturday in Mississippi.
Ramirez vs Mendez - Watch Video Highlights | May 26, 2018
In a true crossroads fight, it was the wily veteran moving up in weight who came away with the win Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi on Premier Boxing Champions on FS1.
It looked as though former 130-pound titleholder Argenis Mendez (25-5-1, 12 knockouts) was going to have an early night as he dropped young Eddie Ramirez (17-2, 11 KOs) towards the end of the second round. Ramirez was saved by the bell but visited the canvas again in the third round.
Now fighting as a junior welterweight, Mendez looked as sharp as could be coming off his first fight in just over a year. Mendez was last seen earning a razor-thin split decision over Ivan Redkach last May.
The 25-year-old Ramirez managed to take his veteran opponent the distance—and it can only be attributed to the heart of the young fighter.
He had previously been finding success in the fourth round before visiting the canvas the third and fourth time. Ramirez would visit the canvas twice in the fifth, mostly due to a wicked body attack from Mendez.
Mendez was looking to end the fight in the sixth but found himself on the receiving end of a second wind assault from Ramirez. Ramirez had Mendez fighting on his back foot in the seventh.
Ramirez stuck in there and did what looked impossible in the early rounds—seeing the final bell. At the conclusion of ten lopsided rounds, Mendez prevailed by scores of 99-87, 98-88, and 97-89.
Mendez has thrust himself into the mix at 140 pounds and is still a known enough name that he should find another meaningful fight before the end of the year.
Ramirez has now lost in back-to-back fights. He was stopped last October by another veteran former titleholder—Antonio DeMarco. He proved Saturday night he's got the mettle to stand in there when he's outgunned but it’s hard to tell where he goes from here.
Nyambayar KOs Escandon, DeLoach falls to Rosario
2012 Olympic silver medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar dropped former title contender Oscar Escandon five times on his way to a third-round stoppage victory in a featherweight co-featured—which improved "King Tug's" perfect record to 10-0.
Former 154-pound contender Justin DeLoach dropped his second straight bout, getting knocked down twice and falling to to Jeison Rosario by 10-round unanimous decision (97-91, 96-93 and 96-92).
Heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba kept his perfect knockout streak going, moving to 5-0 with 5 KOs after scoring a startling first-round knockout over Dell Long (5-3-2). Ajagba is trained by Ronnie Shields.
For a complete recap of Ramirez vs Mendez, check out our fight page.
