Former WBC junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez (28-1, 17-8), got a hero’s welcome to the SaveMart Center in Fresno, California, as Ramirez packed the house once again, to knockout former lightweight world champion, Richard Commey (30-5-1, 27 KOs), in the main event of a Top Rank Inc fight card broadcast on ESPN.
Ramirez came out swinging landing hard body shots on Commey, who he pushed back to the ropes, early and often. At one moment the crowd roared like a mighty lion, as Ramirez seemingly let off an endless punch combination as Ramirez dominated the first round from start to finish. The second wasn’t much different as Commey landed some big shots, but found himself on the ropes once again in trouble, as Ramirez looked to entertain the Central Valley fight fans, who packed the house.
Some of the best action of the fight came with two minutes left in the third round in which Ramirez kept Commey on the ropes and the two exchanged, with Ramirez landing the more effective punches. The fourth round saw Commey land his most effective punch of the fight, and catch Ramirez's attention, but the round ended with Commey on the ropes, fending off a barrage of Ramirez punches. Ramirez came with a mission, Saturday, March 25th, and that mission was to keep Commey on the ropes, which he was very successful at. Ramirez would land a few eye-catching combos, but the rounds blended together as Commey was too good to be stopped, but too small to keep Ramirez off him, or force Ramirez to hesitant his onslaught of forward pressure.
“If you noticed in my last couple of fights I was a little too much try to box,” said Ramirez. “I had to go back and be myself. The [fighter] who is very active…and throw a lot of punches.”
The pressure got to Commey in the eleventh round when he was dropped by a series of punches by Ramirez. In the sequence following the two tripped and went into the ropes. Commey was forced to take a knee in the eleventh round as the pressure and body shots were too much for Commey, as referee Jack Reiss called a halt to the fight at 2:31.
“This fight reminded me of when I fight Antonio Orozco,” remembered Ramirez. “He just came forward and then all of the sudden my hands started floating, and I realized [Commey] was kind of loading up on his punches so I started working that body.