Jesus Ramos Jr. aims to become the first fighter to stop Shane Mosley Jr. when they meet on Saturday, October 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The two fighters clash for the interim WBC middleweight title on the undercard of Fundora vs Thurman, live on pay-per-view.
Ramos Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) makes his third ring appearance of the year, following stoppage wins over Guido Emmanuel Schramm and Jeison Rosario. The 24-year-old southpaw faces Mosley Jr. (22-4, 12 KOs) of Pomona, CA, in a bid for his first major title.
Mosley Jr., son of boxing Hall of Famer Shane Mosley Sr., is riding a five-fight winning streak. In his previous bout in July, the Las Vegas-based 34-year-old defeated former champion Daniel Jacobs by unanimous decision.
“I’m working to deliver my best performance to date,” Ramos said. “I have a lot of tools in my toolbox that I’m yet to display, and I’m looking forward to showing all of that on October 25. Shane Mosley Jr. is a great fighter who’s never been stopped. So my goal is to be the first to get him out of there.”
“It’s the same mindset as always. That never changes. We’re coming to win and put on a good show for the fans. But it’s a big fight. This is a big opportunity, and there isn’t a day that I don’t go to sleep dreaming about this moment. I don’t like to get too ahead of myself, but I do dream about me holding the belt, sitting in the locker room and reading every part of that WBC belt.”
“The most important thing for me is the jab. He’s a very slick fighter, and he’s very fast, so we have to negate that. We’ve been working on the jab and our timing. All around, I just have to make my style sharper and better. If I’m 100%, I don’t think anyone can beat me.”
“If I go back 18 years and you told me I’d be fighting for a title against Shane Mosley’s son, I would have called that person crazy. We used to watch him fight and were big fans. Especially when he beat Antonio Margarito after everything with the hand wraps. It’s crazy that I’m fighting his son now for my first title. I’m grateful to be here, and I’m gonna take full advantage of this moment.”
‘I never quit, because my family never quit’
Jesus Ramos Jr. is trained by his father, Jesus Ramos Sr. On fight night against Mosley Jr., the native of Casa Grande, AZ, will also have his uncle Abel Ramos in his corner, who previously fought Yordenis Ugas and Mario Barrios for world titles.
“Abel [Ramos] has fought for titles before, so he’s talked with me about how that feels and what to expect,” said Ramos. “He’s actually gonna be part of my corner on October 25. It’s great to have him around because of that experience. It’s just different when you’ve really been in those big moments in front of the crowd. I think he’ll be able to give me advice in the corner that will help me control those emotions.”
“There comes a time in the fight where things get tough, and you ask yourself why you’re here. You have to have answers. I tell myself it’s because I was once that eight-year-old kid who wanted this. This is what I worked my whole life for. I’ve never hit a wall that I couldn’t overcome. I’ve calloused my mind to get over those moments, and it’s helped me get to the next level.”
“Being Mexican plays a big role in the mindset that I have. My parents and my grandparents had to give up their lives to give us better opportunities. I’ll always be grateful for that. That’s one of the reasons I never quit, because my family never quit. We didn’t start off like this. We started off in a garage and we just kept going and fighting. We know what kind of work it’s taken to get here, and that’s what Hispanic Heritage Month is about. We’re hard workers, and we never give up.”
In the main event, Sebastian Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs) of West Palm Beach, F, defends his WBC super welterweight title against former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) of Clearwater, FL.
In the co-main event, WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) of Orange, TX defends his title against reigning WBA featherweight champion Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA.
Also on the card is an all-Mexican super welterweight showdown between Isaac Lucero (17-0, 13 KOs) and Roberto Valenzuela Jr. (31-5, 29 KOs).