Jesus Ramos knows winning even an interim middleweight title October 25 can lead to opportunities he wouldn’t otherwise receive.
Beating Shane Mosley Jr. would move Ramos into position to challenge WBC 160-pound champ
Carlos Adames, among others. Facing Mosley will also afford Ramos (23-1, 19 KOs) the chance to prove he isn’t the weight bully some critics insist Ramos has been in the junior middleweight division.
The 5-foot-10 Ramos has mostly made his mark at 154 pounds after fighting as a junior welterweight and welterweight early in his career. The left-handed fighter from Casa Grande, Arizona will compete at the middleweight limit for just the second time in seven years as a pro when he meets Mosley.
The 6-foot-1 Mosley (22-4, 12 KOs), of Pomona, California, has boxed as high as the super middleweight maximum of 168 pounds, making him the biggest opponent of Ramos’ career.
Mosley matched his career high when he weighed in at 167½ pounds for his last fight – a 10-round, unanimous-decision defeat of former IBF/WBA middleweight champ Daniel Jacobs 14 months ago at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The son of a Hall of Famer, Mosley mostly fought at or near the middleweight limit since he turned pro 11 years ago.
”He is a bigger guy,” Ramos told
The Ring. “I’m excited because I feel now the narrative of me having a size advantage [at junior middleweight] is not gonna be in play. He’s fought at 168, so he’s a naturally bigger guy. He's long and lanky, so should present some problems.
“He’s also the perfect fighter if you allow him to do everything right. He’s got a pretty good jab, good speed, so as long as he’s allowed to make his fight happen, he’s a perfect fighter. That’s why we have to come in, make him uncomfortable and get him out of his game plan.”
Mosley, 34, will fight for the first time since he beat Jacobs (37-5, 30 KOs). Despite Mosley’s size advantage, Ramos, 24, is listed by most sportsbooks as at least a 7-1 favorite.
The Ramos-Mosley match will be one of three undercard bouts broadcast on pay-per-view before
Sebastian Fundora (23-1-1. 15 KOs) defends his WBC junior middleweight title
against Keith Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs, 1 NC) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.