(Montreal) After a fight considered one-sided, Venezuelan Albert Ramirez got his hands on a first belt on Thursday, defeating Artur Ziyatdinov by unanimous decision to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight international title. .
This shock, presented as a prelude to the fight between Erik Bazinyan and Billi Facundo Godoy at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, allowed the Montreal public to discover Ramirez (18-0, 15 KOs), while the new protégé of Eye of the Tiger Management boxed for the first time in Quebec.
Facing Ziyatdinov (15-2, 12 KOs), ex-boxer from the Montreal stable, Ramirez obtained the favor of the judges 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.
However, the fight seemed closer than these scores.
Ramirez, who is already ranked fourth in the WBA, sixth in the WBC and WBO, as well as 11e at the IBF, started the fight at high speed against a high quality boxer. In the first round, he hit Ziyatdinov with a strong left hook. He came back strong in the second, landing several combinations. In the third, it was the Venezuelan’s jab that pushed back the Montrealer of Uzbek origin.
Ziyatdinov had a better round in the fourth, but Ramirez regained the upper hand in the fifth. He countered an attack from his opponent before responding with a solid left-right combination to Ziyatdinov’s face, who however remained straight as an oak.
In the second round, Ramirez seemed to lose efficiency and precision. However, it didn’t appear on the judges’ card.
The sixth and seventh rounds were very close. Ziyatdinov landed the best shot of the sixth with a solid left hook to Ramirez’s head. Ditto in the seventh, when his short left hit Ramirez’s temple sharply.
The latter had a much more efficient eighth and he unequivocally won the 10e, being more active and more incisive. There was a sense of urgency, which he didn’t need.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the 29-year-old boxer, a great catch already all polished for EOTTM.
Let’s give up
The rest of the undercard gave rise to good exchanges, but the amateurs were very often left wanting, while several of the opponents unearthed by the EOTTM matchmaker gave up.
This was the case in the fight between welterweight Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) and Marcos Barraza (23-4, 11 KOs). The pugilist from Ciudad Juarez decided to end his evening after the second round. It must be said that he was hammered with blows by the Albertan, who admitted in the ring to also being disappointed with the turn of events.
Same scenario a few minutes earlier. Mary Spencer (8-2, 6 KOs) spoke this week of a fight to regain her confidence against Sonya Dreiling (6-4, 2 KOs) after two consecutive defeats in the world championships. It will have been beneficial, but very short-lived.
The Canadian super-middleweight completely dominated the first round, hitting the target with several power shots against an opponent who gave her a good lead. Dreiling’s corner, which had never been stopped before the limit, played cautiously by not returning the pugilist in the ring.
Spencer was satisfied with this outcome, explaining after the fight that this duel allowed her to regain confidence in her power punches, which she placed endlessly in her opponent’s face.
Perfect evening for the hopefuls
At the curtain-raiser, Ricardo Lara (22-12-2, 10 KOs) did not have a magical night against the new French hope of EOTTM, Moreno Fendero (4-0, 3 KOs). .), who sent him to the mat three times in less than two rounds. Two left hooks to the liver forced Lara to take a knee. When a violent right to the temple made him realize that it was not a matter of humor and prompted him to take a third break, at 1:46 of the second round, referee Érick Philippeaux ended hostilities.
Oscar Soto Quintana (6-5, 2 KOs) then offered a courageous performance against Wilkens Mathieu (7-0, 4 KOs). For three rounds, the boxer from Quebec, who was fighting at 174 pounds for this duel, peppered the Mexican with blows. Not only did the latter not flinch, but he tried to counter-attack most of the blows thrown by Mathieu. Early in the fourth however, a right hook pinched Quintana in the temple and he grounded one hand. After the count of eight, his corner signaled to referee Yvon Goulet that their evening of work was over.
Finally, Jhon Orobio (6-0, 6 KOs) added to his perfect record against Juan Carlos Garcia (5-5). The lightweight Colombian pummeled his Mexican opponent for two rounds, even knocking him to the canvas just as the bell rang. Even without suffering a count, Garcia’s corner wisely judged it best not to resume the action.