Photo by Ismael Gallardo/RBRBoxing
This Thursday, June 4, Westside Boxing’s Rafael Gramajo returns to the ring in a possibly-televised swing bout at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, California.
The scheduled four-rounder will be on the undercard of Golden Boy Promotions’ LA Fight Club—the fourth edition this year—which allows local prospects the chance to showcase their skills (or lose in brutal upsets) in front of a usually hometown crowd.
Gramajo, who has been working with Westside and the Saucedo Brothers for almost two years now, made his television debut last month in a first-round knockout of Luis Cosme at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it, but judging from the fight–which you can watch below–it was a quick night for Gramajo.
“It felt great,” Gramajo said before beginning a workout this past Monday. Gramajo was taking his time applying a bit of sweat cream and putting on a sweat suit so he can shed the necessary last few pounds before he weighed in on Wednesday at 122 pounds.
“I’m ready for it again, to kick some ass,” said Gramajo, as his trainers, Jose and Nacho, looked on.
There is hope that Gramajo will once again be able to fight on television, as the fighter who is scheduled to open the televised program, Christian Gonzalez, will likely score an early knockout.
If there are no quick knockouts, however, we will have to spend a few hours back stage staying warm and waiting for the call. It’s a nerve-racking process that can give anyone a headache before stepping into the ring.
Gramajo admits that there’s an added bit of pressure every time he fights. After re-starting his career over a year ago, Gramajo knows that his ripe age of 25 is a bit older for someone with less than 10 professional fights.
Many his age—considering those who did not have Olympic aspirations, that is—are fighting for world titles or are almost there.
Gramajo also has a wife and two sons, with whom he traveled hundreds of miles from Garden City, Kansas in order to pursue his professional boxing career.
“Every fight that I get is an opportunity. I have to take advantage. I can’t say no. I have to be ready for whatever comes up,” said Gramajo.
And so, with only a week or two to get everything ready, Gramajo got the call. He’d have less than two weeks to lose some weight and get back in the ring.
If a fighter is out of shape, it’s bad news. But if he has been in the gym since running through his last opponent, then it’s just another day at the office.
“It doesn’t make a difference. We’ve been training for every fight that comes up. Sometimes we don’t even have a date, and we’re still training,” said Gramajo.
And so, tonight, Gramajo returns to ring. We’ll see how his journey plays out, and I’ll be providing an inside scoop each step of the way.
