Not only is Jesus Ramos confident in his victory over Jason Rosario on February 1, he also stated that his goal is to knock out his opponent early.
Ramos, 23, will start 2025 on a positive note when he takes on the 29-year-old former IBF junior middleweight champion at 160 pounds. Their fight is expected to take place on February 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against David Benavidez-David Morrell.
The fight promises to be a tight one and Ramos, who is 21-1 (17 KOs), is expected to end this fight abruptly.
“That’s what I’m looking for,” Ramos told BoxingScene. “It’s not something I like to shout out, but that’s what I train for. It’s something I work on every day. I’ve been in the gym thinking about it and that’s the plan.
“The sooner I can knock it out the better so I can enjoy the rest of the card. It’s going to be a great card, so I’m excited about that as well.”
In September 2023, Ramos suffered his first loss to Erickson Lubin in a 12-round junior middleweight bout. Eight months later, he returned with a huge victory, defeating John Gonzalez by nine strokes.
Ramos said he learned from his mistakes against Lubin and returned to winning ways against Gonzalez.
“For me personally, it’s definitely very important,” he continued. “I feel like I need this win to come back when this is all over. It’s a lot of controversy and a lot of mixed emotions. At the end of the day, I’d rather lose fair and square.
“It was just a lot of anger. I didn’t feel like I lost to Lubin, it was just, like I said, a lot of emotion. Coming back from that fight, I felt like I needed to beat Gonzalez. I needed that one Knockouts to prove it to myself and the boxing world.”
The Dominican Republic’s Rosario, 24 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses (18 KOs), is coming off a draw with Jarrett Hurd in August. In 2020, Rosario won the IBF 154-pound belt against Julian Williams. He also fought and lost to the likes of Jermall Charlo and Lubin.
Regardless, Ramos believes Rosario is past his prime.
“I feel like he’s been going downhill over the years,” he said. “So, we’ll see how he does. On February 1st, I feel like he’s on his last fight. It’s a life-or-death battle for him. So I feel like he’s going to be hungry.
“He’s going to be ready, and honestly, I’m expecting the best from Jason Rosario on February 1. It’s a huge opportunity for him.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist specializing in boxing coverage. For many years, he wrote a boxing column titled “From the Ring” in his native Ghana. You can contact him at X (formerly Twitter) @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn Bernard Neequaye and email bernardnequaye@gmail.com.
