About Boxing and Family

Jesus Alejandro Ramos was born into a boxing legacy.

Jesus Sr. and uncle Efrain, former fighters, are also his trainers. By the time Ramos was 3, his 13-year-old uncle, Abel, had begun his amateur career, later transitioning into the professional ranks where he currently competes at the same weight as Jesus Jr.

“My whole life has been around boxing. My uncles trained in my garage, and I was always either in there or around it. Even just playing outside, my Dad would take older kids than me and make me spar with them,” said Ramos.

“At the age of 4, I got bored with it, but I came back and started training. My Dad gave me a whole year to determine whether or not I wanted it.  I was eight or nine years old when I first started boxing. We’re a close family and everyone – my aunts and uncles – we’re about family and boxing.”

Ramos won the majority of his 55 amateur fights, placing third in a 2015 Silver Gloves tournament and earning back-to-back Junior Olympics’ crowns in 2013 and 2014.

“I started sparring Abel when I was smaller at like the age of 15,” said Jesus Jr., whose uncle already was undefeated 13 bouts into a 140-pound career. “My father and uncle are always in the gym when we spar, but I started growing and getting better and the sparring has grown more intense. It’s great work and I’ve learned a lot.”

Ramos turned pro with an 88-second knockout of Luis Romero in a 145-pound bout in May 2018 in Agua Prieta, Sonoro, Mexico, marking the 17-year-old’s first of seven consecutive stoppages in two rounds or fewer during the year. 

There was also an 84-second KO of Antonio Vergara (October) as well as second-round knockouts of Martin Sosa (June), Miguel Angel Salmeron (August), Jose Roberto Garcia (September) and both Hugo Montoya and Rudolfo Lopez, the last two separated by 21 days in October.

In February 2019, Ramos halted Ivan Chavela Resendiz in the second round.

Gunning For the Throne

In April 2019, Ramos scored an 87-second knockout of Seifullah Jihad Wise. Their bout happened in Phoenix, Arizona, marking Ramos’ American and home state debut in advance of his initial fight in Las Vegas – a June 2019, four-round unanimous decision over Kevin Shacks at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Ramos then turned up the heat with consecutive stoppage wins over Rickey Edwards and southpaw Romal Amanov in the third and sixth rounds.

“Before facing Rickey Edwards, I went the distance for the first time in only my second fight out of Mexico, so Edwards was saying my power wasn’t as good as advertised,” said Ramos.

“The knockout came off of an overhand left that we had practiced over and over in the gym. It was the perfect shot because Ricky was always moving to his left, so we knew he’d run into it. I felt like I proved myself.”

Amanov represented the first southpaw Ramos had faced. 

“Against Amanov, I didn’t have any southpaws to spar with in preparation for him. I had to set a pace and stick to it, slowing him down, working his body and breaking him down and taking my time until my Dad told me to step it up and take him out. It taught me a lot about myself,” said Ramos. 

Concussive power notwithstanding, Ramos desires to become a more well-rounded fighter toward earning a world title.

“With a lot of knockouts, there can be pressure to go for the stoppage, but there are a list of things I want to do better. One of them is to improve defensively and be more like Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez,” said Ramos. 

“I wanna get better at moving my head and learning to place my shots. I’m only 19, so I’m trying to stay at 140 long enough to win a title, then, go to 147 and eventually to 160. Hopefully I’m two years away from winning a title, maybe in 2021. That’s the plan.”

A KO Artist

Ramos continued to look sensational in his ring return on September 6, 2020. The rising southpaw battered previously unbeaten Esteban Garcia (14-1, 6 KOs), inducing the stoppage at 2:45 of the second round with a series of unanswered power shots.

Ramos began with his southpaw jab in the first. In the second, he started throwing power punches behind them. Two left hands hurt Garcia and drove him drove toward the ropes. Ramos pounced, landing another big left and a series of power shots. A short right hook forced referee Rudy Barragan to step in and rescue the defenseless fighter. 

“I‘m happy with my performance,” Ramos said afterward. “I didn’t think it would end that early. I thought he would take my shots longer.”

On December 26, 2020, Ramos continued his KO streak with a four-round stoppage over Naim Nelson.

Climbing The Welterweight Ladder

Ramos kicked off 2021 with a bang, as the co-feature on FOX PBC Fight night on February 27, 2021. He looked sharp in scoring a stunning second-round KO victory over Jesús Emilio Bojórquez (24-3, 18 KOs).

Ramos landed a sharp right hook that dropped Bojórquez of Sonora, Mexico and opened a cut along his nose early in the second round. Bojórquez beat the count but was unsteady on his feet. Ramos opened up on Bojórquez as he was pinned against the ropes and referee Thomas Taylor stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:44 of the second round.

NEW DIVISION, SAME RESULTS

On May 1, 2021, Ramos made his super welterweight debut against veteran Javier Molina at Dignity Health Sports Park in a FOX Sports PPV. Ramos went 10 rounds for the first time in his career, winning a wide unanimous decision by two scores of 99-90 and one of 97-92.

Ramos looked even better his next time at 154 pounds, winning a 10-round unanimous decision over the crafty Brian Mendoza on September 5, 2021. 

SHINING ON THE BIG STAGE

On February 5, 2022, Ramos deliver a spectacular performance in the biggest fight of his career. The 20-year-old phenom remained undefeated by knocking out dangerous veteran Vladimir Hernandez at 2:21 of the sixth round. The bout was part of the Thurman-Barrios FOX Sports PBC pay-per-view card from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. 
 
“I was boxing him smartly and I wasn’t really looking for the knockout,” said Ramos. “He’s a tough, durable guy. I broke him down round by round, landing a clean shot that hurt him, so I got the job done.
 
The end came swiftly in the sixth when a Ramos overhand left caused Hernandez to lose control of his legs. Ramos proceeded to batter him to the head and body until referee Mike Ortega mercifully stepped in.
 
“We want to build our resume, like Floyd Mayweather did,” said Ramos. “He had Gatti, Corrales, Castillo and all the guys. That's something you can’t take away from him and that’s what I want to do. I want to earn my reputation. I’m not here to have Instagram followers. I’m here to make a statement in boxing.”

Ramos returned on May 28, 2022, overcoming the tricky style of Luke Santamaria to win a 10-round unanimous decision at Brooklyn, New York's Barclay's Center, live on SHOWTIME pay-per-view.

The 21-year-old Ramos was able to impose his size advantage from the outset, pushing Santamaria backwards and forcing him to fight off the ropes for much of the fight. With the victory, Ramos was able to avenge the loss of his uncle Abel Ramos, who lost a decision to Santamaria in February.

“Yes of course it was important to avenge my uncle’s loss,” said Ramos. “It wasn’t the way we wanted to win, but I think it takes two to tango and tonight I was the one who wanted to fight. I’m not really satisfied. I could have done a lot better but like I said, it takes two to tango and tonight Santamaria didn’t want to fight.”

On March 25, 2023, Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) delivered a dominating performance over a fellow unbeaten young contender, stopping Joey Spencer (16-1, 10 KOs) in the seventh-round of their super welterweight contest. The fight was officially called at 1:25 of round seven when Spencer’s corner indicated to referee Tony Weeks that they were halting the fight.
 
“I felt like I looked real good,” said Ramos. “I showed some angles. After the first round knockdown, I got a little carried away with my power a little bit so I took some time to start working on everything that we practiced in the gym.”
 
Ramos started the fight in spectacular fashion, weathering early pressure from Spencer to land a thunderous short left hook that put Spencer down in round one. Ramos’ power-punching was the key factor in the fight as he outpaced Spencer 147 to 47 in power punches.
 
 Midway through round seven, as Ramos continued to pour on an unrelenting and varied attack, Spencer’s corner, led by his father and trainer Jason Spencer, waved the towel to prompt the referee to end the fight. After the two young combatants showed respect post fight, Ramos expressed his desire to continue facing serious competition in the stacked 154-pound division.
 
“I want to thank Joey Spencer for the opportunity,” said Ramos. “He’s a great fighter with a lot of heart. Hopefully we get another fighter like that. It makes for an entertaining night.”

Unfortunately for Ramos, his next fight wasn't as memorable as he dropped a close, disputed 12-round decision to veteran Erickson Lubin on September 30, 2023. 

“I felt like I did a little more than him, but that’s alright,” said Ramos. “Congratulations to Erickson Lubin. He was sharp. He had a good game plan. Congratulations to him, it’s back to the drawing board. We’ll come back.”

Although Ramos held a 145 to 92 edge in punches landed, the judges appeared to favor the defensive work and consistent jab (378 thrown to 274) of Lubin. Although disappointed in the result, Ramos expressed an eagerness to learn from the experience post fight.

“I felt like I was just trying to show different dimensions to my game and not just come forward,” said Ramos. “It is what it is. I’ll take this loss, come back and learn from it. I learned not to let it go to the judges. Maybe I don’t put it on cruise control next time. A little more pressure. I’ll learn from this. It was a good experience.”

On Saturday, May 4, 2024, Ramos returned with a vengeance, delivering a ninth-round TKO of Johan Gonzalez (34-3, 33 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

Ramos attacked Gonzalez’s body throughout the bout, with body blows accounting for 51% of his landed power shots. Gonzalez was able to stay on his feet for much of the fight, until Ramos was finally able to put him on the canvas late in round nine with a pinpoint left hook. 

Wasting no time, Ramos jumped on his wounded opponent with a flurry of power shots that again sent Gonzalez to the mat, just as referee Harvey Dock jumped in to wave off the bout. The official stoppage came at 2:56 of round nine.