Dante Stone Relishes Underdog Role In WBC Grand Prix

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Nate Marrero

RingMagazine.com |9 hours ago

Dante Stone Relishes Underdog Role In WBC Grand Prix

There might not be a better position to be in than overlooked.

Dante Stone has enjoyed that throughout the WBC’s Grand Prix tournament and finds himself one win away from reaching the finals in the heavyweight division. Stone will have a chance to continue his meteoric rise when he faces Kevin Ramirez in the semifinals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday on DAZN.

“I feel like in this tournament, I'm more of an underdog,” Stone told The Ring. Every time I win, it just shows them that, 'Don't count the underdog out.' It's always a good motivator, because it means that I have no one to disappoint in the crowd and everyone to prove wrong. I've been doing that my whole life. People say I can't do something, and it's my job to prove to them that I can.”

Stone (21-1, 13 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska, has gone 3-0 with one knockout in the Grand Prix, with each victory coming over an undefeated fighter. His first victory was a second-round knockout of Indalesio Teran and unanimous decision wins over Emiliano Ezequiel Mendoza in the round of 16 and Youness Baalla in the quarterfinals.

Ramirez (10-0-2, 4 KOs) of Wilde, Buenos Aires, Argentina, won by first-round knockout against Brian Zwart in the Round of 32 before winning a unanimous decision over Reagan Apanu in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Ramirez, 25, fought to a split draw against Piotr Lacz on the official and WBC enhanced scorecards, before the executive panel gave the Argentinian the nod 4-1.

Stone, 31, has won 21 straight fights and avenged the lone defeat of his career to ranked UFC heavyweight Waldo Cortes Acosta. Of his run in the tournament, his win over Baalla on Aug. 13 to clinch a spot in the semifinal was the best he’s felt.

“I felt more like my younger pro self,” Stone said. “Earlier in my career, when I was winning by knockout, I was moving in, I was smooth, I was going back and forth. This last fight reminded me of that, and I plan to continue doing that.”

The rest of the semifinal bouts for the WBC Grand Prix. Each fight is a six-round bout.