Somebody Has Got This Running Order Wrong
Right then. Here is a fight for you. A former unified world champion at 140lb, a man who held the WBC and WBO belts at the same time, against a hard, tall, southpaw welterweight who has lost twice in thirty fights. Ten rounds. Genuine stakes. Both men need it.
And it is on the preliminaries, streaming before most of the T-Mobile Arena has found its seat.
Let's not beat around the bush: Jose Ramirez against Alexis Rocha would headline a decent card anywhere in America. It has been buried, and the only reason is that the men above it sell more tickets. That is boxing, and it is still a shame.
Where Ramirez Is
Ramirez is 29-3 with 18 knockouts and has not fought since dropping a twelve-round unanimous decision to Devin Haney. That is a long time out for a fighter of his age and style, and the style is the worry.
He has always been a pressure fighter who wins by being harder to discourage than the other man. He walks people down, takes two to give three, and grinds out rounds in the trenches. It is proper, and it is also the most expensive way to earn a living in this sport. There are miles on those legs and they were not gentle miles.
Moving up to welterweight helps — no more brutal 140lb cuts — but it also puts him in with bigger men at a point in his career when he can least afford it.
Where Rocha Is
Rocha is 26-2-1 with 16 stoppages and came through a ten-round decision earlier this year. He is tall for the division, a southpaw, and throws a long left hand that has caused every orthodox pressure fighter he has met a headache.
He is not a finished article. His two defeats came when better boxers made him lead, and he can be walked onto shots when he is trying to make a statement. But against a fighter who is coming forward anyway, that flaw largely disappears — Ramirez will bring the fight to him, which is exactly how Rocha likes it.
The Southpaw Problem
Ramirez has always been at his best cutting off a ring against an orthodox opponent who wants to move. Against a southpaw who is happy to stand and trade long, his lead foot ends up on the wrong side and his right hand has to travel further to land. It is a small thing over three rounds. Over ten, it is the fight.
What It Means For The Winner
Whoever wins this is one good night away from a name fight at 147lb, a division that is about to be reshaped by whatever happens in tonight's main event. If Ryan Garcia comes out of the main event as champion, he needs opponents, and a fresh face with a win over a former world champion is exactly the kind of name that gets a phone call.
The loser, particularly if it is Ramirez, is looking at a very different conversation. At this stage a defeat here is not a setback, it is a signpost.
Luke's Verdict
I want Ramirez to win. He has been a credit to the sport, he fought everyone, and he never once picked an easy night. But wanting it and calling it are different jobs.
Alexis Rocha by unanimous decision. Something like 97-93. Ramirez will have rounds — probably the third, fourth and a late surge around the eighth when he realises he is behind — but Rocha's length, the southpaw angle, and simple freshness win the other six.
If you are setting an alarm for one fight on this card that is not the main event, make it this one. It is the most honest ten rounds on the bill.
The rest of tonight's card is on our fight cards page, and our full card preview has the main event prediction.