We will soon see two of the best undefeated 154 lbs prospects in the PBC stable doing battle against one and another in a fight that will put the winner within arms reach of a world title shot, as Joey Spencer will face Jesus Ramos Jr., in the co-feature of the March 25th, pay-per-view fight between David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Though many might not be looking at the undercard with glee, astute observers see this as a bout between fighters who different publications have given prospect awards to in the past. It is rare in this day in age we see two top-level prospects face off with one-and-another so earlier on, but at the same time it is a welcomed change, that one could easily get used to. This is a fight for legacy, as much as anything else.
“I think this is just the start. I think it’s the first fight that people are going to go back to when they look at our careers. I think we’re both going to have long careers and people are going to watch this fight for a long time. That’s a big deal for me. I want this fight to make a statement in the sport. I’m 22. He’s 21. For this to be our coming out party where we may go on to become world champions one day. And who knows? We’re both young so there may be more than one fight between us,” stated Joey Spencer to the media last week. “I think this is definitely a step up but I think it’s the right step up. I’m taking a step up against a guy who’s fresh, young, and hungry and that’s a very motivating situation for me. It gets me excited and it fuels the fire that I have inside me.”
Often we hear of fighters speaking about the financial riches of what a fight will bring them, but this is the old-fashion “prove it”-type of fight. Two fighters, who have been groomed for long enough, are willing to take a step up in competition to prove that they’re ready to contend at the top of the division.
Another storyline heading into the bout is both fighters are trained by their fathers, as Joey Spencer is trained by Jason Spencer, and Jesus Ramos Jr., is trained by his father, Jesus Ramos Sr., who also trains, Abel Ramos, who is Jesus Ramos Jr.’s uncle, who will be fighting on this card as well.
“My dad [trainer Jesus Ramos Sr.] has made a lot of sacrifices and I’m very proud of everything he’s accomplished. He had to work and train us, because it was the only way to keep the gym afloat. These are the kind of fights that we dreamed of. This is a huge fight and I’m proud of where we’re at right now, but we still have a lot more work to do,” said Ramos Jr., during a media conference call to promote his upcoming bout. “This new generation is hungry. We want to fight each other. It’s going to bring boxing a lot of big fights and entertaining nights.”
