LAS VEGAS — Jesus Ramos, a good-looking bruiser from Arizona, is a future star in boxing.
That's what Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), the prominent firm that has led a banner year for the sport, has been telling fans and media alike by giving the 22-year-old fight dates on the biggest cards of 2023.
Earlier this year, Ramos finished Joseph Spencer in the seventh round on the undercard of David Benavidez's big win over Caleb Plant in Las Vegas.
Fast forward six months and Ramos is back in Vegas as he's the chief support for Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's world super middleweight championship defense against Jermell Charlo.
On Saturday, at the T-Mobile Arena, Ramos faces the toughest test of his career — a 12-round bout against Erickson Lubin.
Ramos is stocky, strong at the weight, and a natural in front of media. He's fan-friendly, TV-friendly, and comes prepared. "PBC has their plan for me and I'm just staying disciplined, doing my part," he told ProBox TV recently.
"It's a huge responsibility, everything they want to do with me," Ramos told us. "I'm doing my part, focusing on my craft, staying in the gym. I just want to look better than my last fight, stronger, more mature, getting better every time."
If Ramos stays true to that, it perhaps does not bode well for Lubin. This could be a fight of the year if it's competitive, or a performance of the year if one fighter takes an early lead, and seals a significant stoppage.
"He's a warrior, man," Ramos said of Lubin. "He's always dangerous, and it's one thing to watch out for. He was getting beat up in the fight with Sebastian Fundora, but came back to drop him [before eventually losing].
"Doing what I do, breaking my opponents down, that's the way I see success in this fight — just taking it round by round.
Ramos said he feels like he's been under the radar but victory over Lubin "would be huge."
He said: "It's huge being a part of such a big card. A win over him would just catapult me to the top of the division, and hopefully get more eyes on me."
The biggest fight next for him, he said, could be against the winner of Tim Tszyu vs. Brian Mendoza in October, or even against Jermell, should Charlo ever return to 154-pounds. "There are a lot of big fights out there," he said.
None bigger, perhaps, than if he were to be the one who welcomed Terence Crawford or Errol Spence Jr. to the division.
"Of course [I'd welcome them to the division!]," he told us. "But I feel like they would want a title shot so I'd have to have a title, first.
"Those are great fights," he said. "That's something to be excited about in the future."
The Ramos and Lubin fight, together with the Canelo and Charlo headliner, airs on Showtime Sports as a pay-per-view.
