You can learn a lot from your wins but even more from defeat.
Jesus Ramos Jr. was familiar with a ton of things in a boxing ring. The sensation of punching an opponent in the face, the rush of sending someone to the canvas, and the excitement of having your hand raised in victory. The latter, however, escaped him recently.
In September 2023, Ramos planned on tossing Erickson Lubin’s lifeless body off the junior middleweight mountain while he continued to make his way to the top. Things though, didn’t go his way.
Ramos stood in disbelief as Lubin was given a close decision. Initially acrimonious, The Ring’s No. 9 ranked 154-pounder has now grown to accept it. While his 21 previous victories came with strong lessons, his first career defeat has taught him even more.
“I took a lot from that fight,” Lubin told Premier Boxing Champions. “I feel like I did enough to pull away but the judges saw it a different way.”
Crying and complaining was never an option for Ramos. Instead, he wanted his next opponent to feel his pain. So, when he squared off against Johan Gonzalez a few months later, Ramos brutalized him, resulting in a ninth-round stoppage win.
If he wanted, Ramos (21-1, 17 KOs) could’ve fattened his record with soft touch after soft touch, but in order to get to where he wanted, knew that route would be of no use to him. So, in the next few weeks, the highly-ranked contender will take on former unified champ, Jeison Rosario (24-4-2, 18 KOs.
The public belief is that Ramos will find a way to win and extend his win streak. If you ask any fighter, a win is a win. Whether it’s an explosive knockout or a boring decision, escaping with the victory is the main objective. For Ramos, of course, it’s all about winning but when it comes to the three judges sitting ringside, he has no intentions of leaving his fate in their hands ever again.
“It’s my job now to make sure I don’t leave it to the judges.”