Julian Ramirez earned his 14th professional win tonight against Raul Hidalgo in the main event of Golden Boy’s LA Fight Club series on Fox Sports 1. It was a very pro-Ramirez crowd at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, California. The undefeated Ramirez was riding a two fight stoppage streak, but this was his first scheduled 10 rounder, and it was important to get some rounds in against his opponent.
The first round was a feel out as Ramirez did little to make real strides in the offensive category. Hidalgo didn’t press, but he was getting off first at times, which opened the door for Ramirez to display a little counter-punching.
Ramirez went to the body early and often. It was definitely a body first game plan, even if his focus on the body wasn’t relentless. To his credit, Hidalgo didn’t back down after being hit with flush shots, but he was never really moving forward, either.
The biggest shots were landed after the first few initial rounds. Ramirez made it a point to go to the head after being more body-oriented at the start of the fight. In the 4th round, the southpaw Ramirez landed a hard right hook before landing a wide open left hand that was flush. However, Hidalgo ate it up, and it didn’t faze him if it didn’t make him a little more timid.
Ramirez, who got away from the body a bit, went back to it more and more with his complete game plan in full effect by round 6. Hidalgo was not busy enough, and he didn’t let his hands go, which was unfortunate as Ramirez was there to hit at moments when he was picking his shots. That’s not to say that Hidalgo didn’t land some of his punches when they came in spurts, but he paid for letting his hands go as he was wobbled in the 6th.
Hidalgo went on his bicycle a bit in the 7th as Ramirez’s lateral movement proved too elusive. It was clear that Ramirez’s opponent was tired of being hit, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it from a boxing standpoint.
Ramirez was looking for the stoppage to his credit, but Hidalgo, who was cut over his eye in the late rounds, was just trying to survive by any means. The fight went all 10 rounds, and all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Ramirez.
It might be a good thing that Ramirez got the rounds in, and he definitely gained experience for it.
