OKLAHOMA CITY -- The super middleweight division is far from being the best in boxing. The division has plenty of good fighters but lacks many great ones. The best is Gilberto Ramirez (37-0, 25 KOs) but he has rarely been in the ring with anyone who can match his talent level. That won't change on June 30 when Ramirez will put his WBO super middleweight world title on the line against the unknown Roamer Alexis Angulo (23-0, 20 KOs) on ESPN.
Ramirez is a southpaw without very fast hands or dazzling footwork. He's a workman type fighter who cuts off the ring well and breaks opponents down with his thudding power. Ramirez has a stiff jab and straight left hand but his best work comes to the body with crooked punches. The right hook from Ramirez is a nice weapon as is his excellent uppercut. The 27-year-old Mexican fighter has also always shown a good chin and his pressure style helps keep opponents on their back foot.
The knock against Ramirez has been his opposition. The two best wins on his resume are a unanimous decision over a 36-year-old Arthur Abraham and a close unanimous decision win over Jesse Hart. Outside of those wins Ramirez has faced many lesser fighters and his most recent opponent was a completely unknown fighter from Ghana who had never fought outside of his home country. That opponent, Habib Ahmed, had also never faced any opponent of note, much like Ramirez's opponent on Saturday, Angulo.
Angulo is an orthodox fighter who has shown very good power, albeit against fairly weak opposition. He has a measuring stick jab that doesn't do much damage and he uses it to find the distance for his wild overhand right. The best punch from Angulo is probably his short left hook and while he can also land bruising uppercuts, that punch often comes in very telegraphed. One major flaw in Angulo's style is that at times he will leave his hands low and often when he jabs he leans low to his left which would leave him wide open for left hands and uppercuts from Ramirez.
Despite being 34 years old, Angulo has only been fighting professionally since 2010. He has fought all over the world, including his native Comlumbia, Germany, the Dominican Republic, the United States, and Mexico. Although he has fought all over the map, he usually hasn't faced good opposition. His best opponent to date is Evert Bravo and 11 of his 23 career opponents had losing records. Angulo is currently ranked eighth by the WBO and beating Ramirez would not only be a massive upset, it would also change the trajectory of Angulo's career.
Showing power against sub par opponents doesn't always mean a fighter is a true knockout puncher. If Angulo can earn Ramirez's respect early by tagging him with a few power punches that Ramirez feels, this could be an interesting fight. Angulo doesn't have a great jab to set up those power punches though and he leaves himself open far too often. Ramirez should be able to do pretty much whatever he wants in this fight. He can control the fight with his jab and straight left hand from the outside and punish Angulo to the body when hey gets inside. Angulo's best chance at victory might be to sell out early and look for the knockout because he's not at the same talent level as Ramirez.
PREDICTION: Gilberto Ramirez often goes long stretches between knockout performances but he won't have to wait long to make it two in a row. After scoring a sixth round stoppage in his last fight Ramirez will get another one when he knocks Roamer Alexis Angulo out in the fifth round.
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| Ramirez catching Jesse Hart with a straight left hand |
The knock against Ramirez has been his opposition. The two best wins on his resume are a unanimous decision over a 36-year-old Arthur Abraham and a close unanimous decision win over Jesse Hart. Outside of those wins Ramirez has faced many lesser fighters and his most recent opponent was a completely unknown fighter from Ghana who had never fought outside of his home country. That opponent, Habib Ahmed, had also never faced any opponent of note, much like Ramirez's opponent on Saturday, Angulo.
Angulo is an orthodox fighter who has shown very good power, albeit against fairly weak opposition. He has a measuring stick jab that doesn't do much damage and he uses it to find the distance for his wild overhand right. The best punch from Angulo is probably his short left hook and while he can also land bruising uppercuts, that punch often comes in very telegraphed. One major flaw in Angulo's style is that at times he will leave his hands low and often when he jabs he leans low to his left which would leave him wide open for left hands and uppercuts from Ramirez.
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| Angulo having his hand raised in victory |
Showing power against sub par opponents doesn't always mean a fighter is a true knockout puncher. If Angulo can earn Ramirez's respect early by tagging him with a few power punches that Ramirez feels, this could be an interesting fight. Angulo doesn't have a great jab to set up those power punches though and he leaves himself open far too often. Ramirez should be able to do pretty much whatever he wants in this fight. He can control the fight with his jab and straight left hand from the outside and punish Angulo to the body when hey gets inside. Angulo's best chance at victory might be to sell out early and look for the knockout because he's not at the same talent level as Ramirez.
PREDICTION: Gilberto Ramirez often goes long stretches between knockout performances but he won't have to wait long to make it two in a row. After scoring a sixth round stoppage in his last fight Ramirez will get another one when he knocks Roamer Alexis Angulo out in the fifth round.
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