Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime – LAS VEGAS (Jan. 20, 2012) – In a night of knockdowns and stoppages on ShoBox: The New Generation, Guillermo Rigondeaux won a world title in only his ninth professional fight by knocking out the defending World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight champion Rico Ramos at 1:29 of the sixth round. The co-feature resulted in a multiple knockdown thriller live on SHOWTIME® before Joel Diaz Jr. ended the contest by scoring a TKO over Guy Robb at 2:20 of round seven. In the opening bout of the night, super flyweight Matthew Villanueva TKOed Mike Ruiz Jr. at 1:04 in the seventh round from Pearl Theatre at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev.
In his first title defense, Ramos never found his rhythm.
“Rico Ramos is a very good fighter,” Rigondeaux said after his world championship-capturing fight. “But I train very hard and when I train, no one can beat me.”
The quick and slick Rigondeaux scored a knockdown in the first session and threw a slew of rapid-fire power shots to end the affair but Ramos pulled through the early adversity. From there, Rigondeaux methodically controlled the pace, although both fighters seemed a bit tentative and unwilling to engage from the second through the fifth rounds.
In the sixth, Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KOs) bothered Ramos by holding and hitting. Joe Cortez warned Rigondeaux as Ramos (20-1, 11 KOs) recovered but Rigondeaux smelled blood in the water. The Cuban burst from his corner and belted Ramos with power shots to the head and a solid left hook to the midsection that sent Ramos to the canvas for a count of ten.
“He hit me in the back of the head and I got dizzy,” said Ramos. “The referee told us to fight and I wanted to take my time. That’s when he caught me with the body shot and I fell. I’m going to bounce back harder. I’ll be up in that gym next week.”
Diaz Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) and Robb (7-1, 3 KOs) produced a shootout with its share of knockdowns and blood in a fight that both young boxers took on short notice. From the opening bell, power punches flew – and landed. As Diaz Jr., of Los Angeles, began to come on strong in the second, Sacramento-based Robb dropped him with a big right hand. Diaz Jr. retaliated with two knockdowns of his own in the third round.
Refusing to back down, the fight enjoyed several swings of momentum. The fighters loaded up on the majority of their shots with Diaz Jr. landing 148 power shots to Robb’s 120. In the seventh, Diaz Jr. rocked Robb and began a barrage of punches that caused referee Vic Drakulich to call the fight.
“It was much harder than I thought,” said Diaz Jr. of the scheduled eight-round super featherweight attraction. “I was expecting it to be more like my previous fights, but not everybody’s the same. I can’t hit everybody with one punch and knock them down.”
Impressed by the action and torrid pace, SHOWTIME boxing analyst Steve Farhood called the fight a “mini classic.”
Villanueva (7-0-1, 7 KOs), of Burbank, Calif., came into this evening with six stoppages in his six wins and tonight’s victory was no different. The five-foot-seven Villanueva overwhelmed his opponent with his superior power. By round two, it looked like Ruiz Jr. (8-2-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, Calif., might not survive as Villanueva dropped him, however the determined fighter made it back to his corner. Villanueva opened the third round by pummeling his opponent but again Ruiz. Jr. showed heart and resolve to keep the bout alive. Through the middle rounds, Villanueva showed great composure for a young fighter to not force the knockout. His patience paid off in the seventh when Villanueva began to tee off on Ruiz Jr. before referee Russell Mora stepped in to end the fight.
By the end of the scheduled eight-round super flyweight affair, Villanueva had landed 211 punches; Ruiz 62.
The event was promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions.
Tonight’s telecast will re-air on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and be available on SHOWTIME On Demand from Jan. 23 through Feb. 5. Al Bernstein called the action from ringside with Steve Farhood, Antonio Tarver and Andre Ward serving as expert analysts.
SHOWTIME returns to Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 11 for the most anticipated rematch of the year, Victor Ortiz vs. Andre Berto II from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Both fighters will be featured in the upcoming premiere of FIGHT CAMP 360°: Ortiz vs. Berto II on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please visit the website at http://sports.SHO.com.
Joel Diaz Jr. extends winning streak in thriller
Las Vegas, Nevada (January 20, 2012) – In a battle of undefeated prospects, Boxing360’s Joel Diaz Jr. and Guy Robb went toe to toe on Showtime’s ShoBox “The New Generation” series at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.
Joel Diaz Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) extended on his winning streak, winning by TKO against a game Guy Robb (7-1, 3 KO’s) as Judge Vic Drakulich stopped the action at the 2:20 mark of round seven. Both fighters showed great resilience and heart coming off the canvas in the early rounds. Diaz was down in round two as Robb was floored twice in round three before being stopped in round seven.
An elated Joel Diaz Jr. stated, “This was the toughest fight of my young career, but I showed I can handle adversity when things get rough. Guy Robb caught me with a nice right hand in the second round, but I wasn’t going to let it get me down. The following round I came right at him and dropped him twice. I started to get my second wind in round six, and in round seven I stopped him. My goal was to get the knockout and show everyone watching on TV that I’m a force to be reckoned with in the Jr. Lightweight division. I’m going to get right back in the gym and get ready for my next fight February 17th in Chicago.”
Boxing360 promoter Mario Yagobi went on to say, “I’m very happy for Joel and his team. I know they worked extremely hard to get ready for this fight which was presented to them on short notice. Joel has a bright future and I plan to keep him busy in 2012. The experience he got tonight was invaluable.”
For more information on Joel Diaz Jr. please visit www.boxing360.com.
Gunn Furthers Interest In Super Fight With Jones Jr.
This past week there has been much discussion about a potential cruiserweight fight between former IBA World Cruiserweight champion Bobby Gunn and former world champion in multiple weight classes Roy Jones Jr.
Gunn spoke out yesterday in response to Jones Jr’s statement earlier this week:
“Thank you Roy for the response that you gave to me. You are such a classy champion, and that’s why you are loved by the world—not just boxing fans, but the world in general. Everybody knows the name and loves Roy Jones Jr. I truly hope from the bottom of my heart that you get the fight with David Haye or Krzsztof Wlodarczyk, but if you don’t I will give you the fight that the boxing world needs. You and I can be the Arturo Gatti/Mickey Ward cruiserweight super fight. We will be the fight that nobody puts a lot of weight into, but we will put on a show that goes through the roof. We will give the boxing world what they want by giving them the super fight of the year. Styles make a fight, and quite honestly my brother, me and you is a perfect matchup.
Roy, you are a champion in and out of the ring, and it would be my honor and dream to step in the ring with you. Everything I have done and accomplished throughout my life wouldn’t hold a candle to having the chance to step between the ropes with you and go to battle. You are a great man, and I believe you will bring the greatness out of me. God Bless champ, and again, I hope you get what you want, but if you don’t, the Gunn is at your door knocking…it’s not complicated, this is an easy deal. Let’s make it happen.”
In coming weeks the boxing world will find out if this fight will happen or not. With the ongoing drama of the top welterweights in the world, boxing fans could certainly get into looking forward to a matchup between Jones Jr. and Gunn.