Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez hoped for repeat. Jesse “Hollywood” Hart sought revenge. In a rematch of their September 2017 bout, Ramirez once again emerged victorious, notching a majority decision (114-114, 115-113 2X) to retain his WBO super middleweight world title for the fifth time.
“I won every round. I beat him clearly again,” Ramirez said. “I hurt my elbow in the eighth round, but if I didn’t hurt my elbow, I would’ve knocked him out. I am going to 175. I am ready to challenge Gvozdyk.”
The action reached a crescendo in the 12th round, as Ramirez battered Hart around the ring for the first 2:30. Then, with the fight drawing to a close, Hart buzzed Ramirez, forcing the champion to hold on to the final bell.
Said Hart: “It was no contest. I did everything to win this fight. Gilberto is a great fighter, and I have a lot of respect for him. He did have a great 12th round, but I came back to hurt him as well.”
Barboza Grinds Out Decision Win
Unbeaten super lightweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. (20-0, 7 KOs) looked the part of a top contender, using a relentless body attack to defeat Manuel Lopez (14-3-1, 7 KOs) by 10-round unanimous decision (100-90 3X).
Barboza, who picked up the NABF Jr. super lightweight belt, closed the show strong. He hurt Lopez in the ninth and 10th rounds to secure the win.
“I’m a little disappointed in myself that I couldn’t get him out of there, but I feel like I did a great job,” Barboza said. “We want the best. We want {WBC super lightweight champion} Jose Ramirez. I think that would be a great fight.”
In other action:
Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer Jr. took one step closer to a bantamweight world title shot. Greer (19-1-1, 11 KOs), a Chicago native, knocked down Daniel Lozano (15-6, 11 KOs) at the end of the seventh round, and Lozano’s corner stopped the bout after the round ended. Greer picked up the vacant WBC Continental Americas belt and is eyeing world title honors next.
“I got a great team behind me. We ended the year big,” Greer said. “This is only the beginning. Next year, we’re doing big things!”
Mikaela Mayer (9-0, 4 KOs) defended her NABF super featherweight title for the first time, cruising to an eight-round unanimous decision over Calixta Salgado (17-11-3, 12 KOs).
“She was holding a lot, which made it difficult,” Mayer said. “I had a great 2018, and I am looking forward to a world title shot in 2019.”
Top 130-pound contender Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring (19-2, 10 KOs) scored a pair of knockdowns en route to a shutout eight-round unanimous decision (80-70 3X) against former junior featherweight world title challenger Adeilson Dos Santos (19-6, 15 KOs). After the bout, Herring called out WBO 130-pound champion Masayuki Ito.
“That guy had some power. He has all of those knockouts for a reason, but we got the job done,” Herring said. “Ito, I’m coming!”
Gabriel Flores Jr. (11-0, 5 KOs), the 18-year-old prodigy from Stockton, Calif, knocked down Edward Kakembo twice to notch a six-round unanimous decision win (60-52 3X) in a lightweight fight.
Super bantamweight prospect Jesus Arechiga (7-0, 6 KOs) went the distance for the first time as a pro, scoring a four-round unanimous decision over David Martino (6-6, 4 KOs). All three judges scored the fight 40-36.
In a six-round bantamweight bout, Ruben Vega (11-0-1, 5 KOs) was held to a draw versus Oscar Mojica (11-5-1, 1 KO). Scores were as followed: 58-56 Mojica, 58-56 Vega, and 57-57.
Roberto Duran Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs), son of the all-time great, scored a 55-second knockout over Leonardo Pena (0-3) in a welterweight bout.
