LAS VEGAS – Jesus Ramos’ main goal entering 2025 was to be much more active this year than in the previous 12 months.
The 24-year-old Ramos, ranked No. 9 in The Ring’s junior middleweight top 10, fought only once in 2024. When promoter Tom Brown offered him another fight four days after he stopped former unified 154-pound champ Jeison Rosario in the eighth round on the David Benavidez-David Morrell Jr. undercard February 1 at T-Mobile Arena, Ramos immediately accepted that unexpected invitation.
His opponent changed less than three weeks ago – from Mexico’s Kevin Salgado to Argentina’s Guido Schramm. Ramos remains appreciative because the southpaw from Casa Grande, Arizona needs activity if he is to fight his way into position for a 154-pound title shot.
Should Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs), a 25-1 favorite over Schramm according to DraftKings, win their 10-round co-feature Saturday night, he wants to face whoever wins Prime Video’s main event between WBC/WBO 154-pound champ Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) and Chordale Booker (23-1, 11 KOs) at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.
“I’d be excited to get the opportunity to fight for a world title,” Ramos told The Ring. “I’d do that in a heartbeat. I think Booker, he’s hungry. He might give Fundora a good fight in the beginning, but I see Fundora beating him. You know, that style he has is just so awkward and I feel like he’s gonna pull it off.”
Fundora, of Coachella, California, will fight for the first time in almost a full year. The 6-foot-6 southpaw hasn’t boxed since he won a bloody battle against Australian contender Tim Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs) by split decision last March 30 at T-Mobile Arena.
The mild-mannered Ramos would welcome a rematch with Erickson Lubin later this year as well. Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) unanimously out-pointed Ramos in their unremarkable 12-rounder almost 18 months ago at T-Mobile Arena.
Ramos sought an immediate rematch, but Lubin utilized that victory to eventually secure an IBF elimination match against Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs). Lubin, of Orlando, Florida, and Holmes, of Flint, Michigan, will meet May 10 in a 12-round main event ProBox TV will stream live from Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
“That’s the fight I wanted right after that loss,” Ramos said. “But he hasn’t been wanting to give me that fight. We just can’t wait on him. He ran out of options for the [all of] last year and he still opted to not fight me, so I have to move on. I have to just keep fighting, keep growing, but if that opportunity presented itself I would like to fight him.”
Buenos Aires’ Schramm (16-3-2, 9 KOs) was presented as an option for Ramos before he beat Michigan’s Joey Spencer (19-1, 11 KOs) by seventh-round technical knockout in March 2023 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mexican southpaw Vladimir Hernandez (16-6, 7 KOs) knocked out Schramm in the sixth round of Schramm’s most recent appearance last June 5 in Plant City, Florida.
“I’ve seen him,” Ramos said. “I know that he’s lost to two of the guys I’ve beat already [Hernandez and Johan Gonzalez]. So, you know, I think he’s gonna be an awkward fighter at the beginning. But once I get the timing down, I think it’ll be a pretty easy fight.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.