“El Camaron,” in case you were wondering, is Spanish for “The Shrimp,” which is perhaps a testament to his size and to the color of his skin, which turns to a light shade of red after a few rounds in the ring.
The 22-year-old prospect is off to a great start this year as he is headlining a card for the very first time.
“I’m excited to headline my first card and I’m ready to give the people a great show,” says Ramirez.
“El Camaron” and his team have big plans for 2015, but it isn’t a quest for fame that motivates Ramirez–it’s a quest for respect and a shot at a world title.
“I just want fights. I just want to put myself at a level where I can fight for a title,” said Ramirez, “A lot of fighters want to be on TV and want the fame. I just want the respect.”
Ramirez looks to be on his way, especially with the added confidence of doing well with sparring partners such as WBA titlist Scott Quigg and 2014 Boxcino Lightweight champion Petr Petrov.
A successful performance on April 2 puts the young fighter much closer to world title opportunities and, according to him and his trainer, he has all the tools to take that next step this year.
Learning the Family Sport
Ramirez began boxing at very young age with his great grandfather and his uncle.
Boxing was a family sport and Ramirez learned the fundamentals from his great grandfather–the foundation upon which future trainers would build.
For much of his amateur career, Ramirez trained at several different gyms in the Los Angeles area, including Azteca Boxing, LA Boxing, Maywood Boxing and Oscar De La Hoya’s now-defunct gym.
Besides training with his family members, Ramirez also trained with local trainer Rodrigo Mosquera, who now trains likes of Super Featherweight Fernando Vargas and can be seen in the corner of WBC Featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr.
After several amateur fights and tournaments, Ramirez began training with veteran trainer Rafael Sarabia, with whom he began his pro career.
“I started with him a bit before he turned pro. I worked with for about 12 fights and from there we debuted him as a professional,” says Sarabia.
Ramirez notes that Sarabia trainer respects the teachings of his uncle and great grandfather, but that he has been helpful with keeping him smart and in shape.
Sarabia’s Gym
Rafael Sarabia is a veteran trainer who has worked at several gyms in the East LA area, including Oscar De La Hoya’s former gym and most recently at Daniel Ponce De Leon’s Gym in Montebello.
Sarabia, however, didn’t feel comfortable working at these gyms due to the politics of working with other trainers.
Sarabia’s solution was to start his own gym behind his house in his garage.
“There my fighters work without being bothered by other people,” say Sarabia, hinting at the unsolicited advice that trainers often give to fighters of other trainers.
“That’s a big problem, which I don’t have because I like to respect the work of other people. When they ask me, I give them humble opinion and nothing more,” says Sarabia, who feels a lot more comfortable working from his home.
The gym has allowed him to find a comfy place for tough sparring for Ramirez, which besides Quigg and Petrov, has also included Ronny Rios.
Despite the comfort of this gym, however, there is an added urgency as the team feels he needs to make the transition to world class contender this year.
“This year is his. This year he has to do a lot if he wants to be someone because he has everything,” said Sarabia.
Ramirez himself even told me that if he does not get a world title by the end of his five-year contract with Golden Boy, he will retire.
These are strong but confident words of a fighter who sees world championship success within the horizon.
