by John G. Thompson: Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KO’s) won his first professional title this evening from the previously undefeated Rico “Suavecito” Ramos (20-1, 11KO’s) at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on ShoBox: The New Generation. However, the undercard bout between Joel Diaz and Guy Robb certainly stole the show.
At age thirty-one Rigondeauz may have only eight professional bouts on his record, however, for those not familiar with Rigondeaux, he was one of the most accomplished amateurs in the sport of boxing. With hundreds of amateur bouts, gold medals in two Olympic Games, seven Cuban national championships, and a slew of international awards, Rigondeaux’s credentials in his first bid for a professional title become apparent. Rigondeaux won his last bout via first round TKO over a previously undefeated fighter in March of last year, this being his longest layoff as a professional.
His opponent, twenty-four year old Rico Ramos of Pico Rivera, California has been fighting since he was eight years old, remained active in the Police Athletic League (PAL), and served as an Olympic alternate. Ramos won the WBA World Super Bantamweight Title from Akifumi Shimoda in his last bout via seventh round knockout in July of last year.
A southpaw, Rigondeaux showed aggression in the first round using his jab to set up his straight left, which eventually caught Ramos and put him down with forty seconds left in the first. Ramos looked dazed as he got up at the count of six. Rigondeaux came in with more lighting fast straight lefts, but Ramos managed to hold on and make it through the round.
Unfortunately, that was the only action of the evening for the two until the sixth round as Rigondeaux’s punch output dropped and Ramos never tried to pick up the pace. The crowd started booing by the end of the third. There may have been more accidental headbutts than punches landed. In the sixth round Referee Joe Cortez halted the action briefly due to an illegal punch by Rigondeaux, after he held Ramos’s head down and then struck him with an uppercut which somehow landed behind the head. Immediately after the action resumed, Rigondeaux attacked with the straight left to the head as he had in the first, backing Ramos into a corner. Rigondeaux lowered his aim as Ramos raised his guard to protect his head, and a body punch sent Ramos down again. Ramos failed to beat the referee’s count.
The undercard completely stole the show, however, as Joel Diaz (7-0, 6 KO’s) of Palmdale stopped Guy Robb (7-1, 3 KO’s) of Sacramento in the seventh round. They have one fighter in common, both having fought Hugo Ramos – Robb stopping him in the fifth and Diaz earning a near shutout over the course of four rounds in Diaz’s only decision thus far in his career. Though both undefeated, neither boxer had fought more than one opponent with a winning record. Nevertheless, because of their performances this evening, I would make time to watch either of these guys fight again, regardless of the opponent.
Diaz looked like he was in charge in the first round throwing in combinations, but Robb caught him with a big right halfway through the second round that sent Diaz to the canvas. Diaz got up quickly and the two traded punches until the bell. Diaz landed a big right to start the third and peppered Robb with punches until he went down of his own accord. Robb got up and started to come back with hard body shots but Diaz landed another big right and Robb stumbled backwards. Diaz connected with the right again and continued to let his hands go. As they got tangled Robb went down again and Referee Vic Drakulich started a count. Robb tried to answer as he got up, but Diaz connected with a big uppercut followed by a left and right hook which scored big, though Robb landed a hook of his own at the bell.
Robb changed tactics and the momentum of the fight in the fourth, immediately backing Diaz to the ropes and trading on the inside. It was a great round, somewhat reminiscent of Corrales vs. Castillo. Robb caught Diaz flush with a straight right to start the sixth, and continued to back up Diaz as he had done in the fourth and fifth. Ringside commentator Steve Farhood joked, ‘Whose turn is it to knock the other guy down now?”
Diaz started strong in the seventh with a combination to the head. The two traded toe to toe until fifty five seconds were left in the round, at which point Diaz’s combination punching seemed to take a toll on Robb. Robb backed up and did nothing but cover up as Diaz blasted away. Referee Drakulich stepped in to stop the bout as Robb failed to respond. And though Robb did not protest the stoppage, it seemed as though Drakulich stepped in prematurely given the back and forth ebb and flow of the preceding six rounds.
In the first televised bout of the evening Matthew Villanueva (7-0-1, 7 KO’s) of Burbank looked very impressive against Michael Ruiz, Jr. (8-2-1, 3 KO’s) of Fresno. Villanueva’s last bout in June was a technical draw after it ended in the third round due to an accidental low blow. That had been the first and only time an opponent made it past the second round against Villanueva. Ruiz lost his last fight in September via wide margin unanimous decision, in a bout which saw Ruiz hit the canvas. Both fighters were given only about a weeks’ notice for this fight.
Ruiz hung tough this evening taking Villanueva into the seventh round, though Villanueva stalked Ruiz throughout the bout, often throwing and landing multiple punch combinations to the chin. Villanueva also dug to the body with hard hooks. Ruiz was game, showed a good chin and tried to counter, but was outworked by Villanueva.
Villanueva caught Ruiz with a crisp left hook to the chin in the seventh causing his opponent to stumble backwards and that spelled the beginning of the end for Ruiz. Villanueva attacked relentlessly and would not allow himself to be tied up, though Ruiz tried, and Referee Russell Mora stepped in to stop the bout with one minute and fifty eight seconds left in the round. I had the fight scored a shutout at that point as did one of the judges, the other two only giving Ruiz one round.