All photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Fighting in his hometown and on ESPN, Jose Ramirez (21-0, 16 KOs) wanted to put on a show and that’s exactly what he did, scoring a sensational second-round TKO victory over previously unbeaten Mike Reed (23-1, 12 KOs) on Saturday at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
The victory put Ramirez in place to fight Amir Imam for the WBC Junior Welterweight title, which was recently vacated when Terence Crawford moved up to 147 pounds.
Ramirez, 25, is from Avenal, California and worked the fields as a teen with his immigrant family. The 2012 U.S. Olympian said this is a dream come true for a kid from Avenal.
“I fight for the people. I fight for the water,” said Ramirez. “I also fight for my son and my family.”
In Round 1, the action started early as Ramirez ripped into Reed with vicious body shots. Reed landed good counters and showed his speed.
Reed landed a counter right hook, but Ramirez stunned Reed with a left hook then landed a barrage of punches, dropping Reed face first.
After Reed beat the 10 count, Ramirez peppered Reed against the ropes with left hooks to the body and straight rights. Referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout at 1:43 of the second round.
Ramirez said his trainer Freddie Roach told him to mix combinations and initiate exchanges.
“He told me to work the body and work the levels,” said Ramirez. “Use my speed.”
