By: Sean Crose

Super flyweights David Jimenez and John Ramirez battled for the WBA’s interim divisional title Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The 13-0 Ramirez opened up by falling to the mat before the 15-1 Jimenez just after the opening bell. Both men then fought to control the range as well as the tempo in the first. The second was a fairly high octane affair, with the fighters engaging on the inside. Things remained close in the third, though Jimenez may well have been the more active of the two. The fighters went back to grinding on the inside during the fourth.

The fifth, like much of the fight up until that point, was difficult to score. Because the combatants often fought in close quarters, it was often difficult to tell who was landing the more effective punches. In was a messy, but entertaining, bout. The fighters were still exerting a great deal of energy in the sixth. Would the fight come down to who had more in the gas tank? Jimenez went down from a slip early in the seventh, though the war quickly resumed. Though the chapter was generally as close as the others, Jimenez appeared to land the more telling shots.

Ramirez’ face looked worse for wear in the eighth. While he may have entered the ring the betting favorite, Jimenez now seemed to control the tempo. The ninth had Ramirez pushing the action, but also taking shots from Jimenez. Both men were looking the worse for wear in the tenth. Their fight had simply proven to be a brutal affair that never truly slowed down. Ramirez continued to fight aggressively while Jimenez took to leaning on his opponent when possible. The penultimate round had Jimenez hold while Ramirez fought to get inside. It was starting to look like a fight from the early 1900s. By the final minute of the round, however, Jimenez was banging away at Ramirez on the ropes.

The twelfth and final round indicated that Jimenez was, in the end, simply too strong for Ramirez. His punches and physicality left an impression that the bloody, gutsy Ramirez’ performance didn’t.

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