Jared Anderson won a 10-round unanimous decision over former cruiserweight world champion Ryad Merhy in a listless heavyweight bout at the American Bank center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The bout lacked action as it seemed that Merhy was happy staying out of close range and eating jabs and right hands all fight from Anderson.

Anderson landed 128 of 662 punches. Merhy was a putrid 34 of 144. Merhy threw the third lowest amount of punches in the history of Compubox for a 10-round bout.

Anderson, 250.9 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 and is now 17-0. Merhy, 235.6 lbs of Brussels, BEL is 32-3.

Anderson said, “Another day, another night in the office. I wanted to give the fans a better show, but what can you do when they show up to fight like him. It’s just another day in the office. We’re going to continue working.

“I stayed sharp for 10 rounds. That’s the biggest takeaway. I got to make some changes. I made some mistakes. I got hit with a few punches. I shouldn’t have gotten hit at all because he didn’t even come here to fight.

“I want all of the names. If I’m ranked with you and your name is near mine, then we can get it crackin’. We’re coming to knock everybody off.”

Ajagba Wins Split Decision over Vianello

Efe Ajagba won a 10-round split-decision over Guido Vianello in a heavyweight bput.

In round two, Vianello hurt Ajagba badly when he landed a hard right to the head. Ajagba got it together and took the middle rounds by boxing and showing off his skills. Vianello made a late push but it feel just short as Ajagba won by scores of 96-94 on two cards and a third card was 96-94 in favor of Vianello.

Ajagba landed 186 of 583. Vianello was 177 of 622.

Ajagba, 241.2 lbs of Ughello, NIG is 20-1. Vianello, 244.5 lbs of Rome, ITA is 12-2-1.

Conceicao Stops Guardado in 7

Former two-time world title challenger Robson Conceicao stopped Jose Guardado in a scheduled eight-round junior lightweight bout.

In round nine, Conceicao dropped Guardado with a hard left to the body. Guardado was hurt badly and eat a barrage of punches until the fight was stopped when he was sent to the canvas for a second time at 2:27.

Conceicao, 131.6 lbs of Bahia, BRA is now 18-2-1 with nine knockouts. Guadardo, 131.5 lbs of Ensanada, MEX is 15-2-1.

Julian Delgado made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Juan Tamez in a middleweight fight.

Delgado, 159.3 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is 1-0. Raez, 159 lbs of Laredo, TX is 1-1.

Ruben Villa IV won a 10-round unanimous decision over Cristian Cruz in a featherweight bout.

Villa, 125.6 lbs of Salinas, CA won by scores of 98-92 twice and 97-93 and is now 22-1. Cruz, 125.1 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 22-7-1.

John Rincon remained undefeated with a six-round majority decision over Yainel Alvarez in a welterweight bout.

Rincon, 143 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX won by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 57-57 and is now 9-0. Alvarez, 143.5 lbs of Ciego de Avila, CUB is now 3-4-2.

Abdullah Mason remained undefeated with a fourth round stoppage over Ronal Ron in a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Mason landed a perfect left that put Ron on the canvas. In round three, Mason dropped Ron with a hard body shot and then a left to the head. In round four, Mason landed a vicious barrage of head and body shots that forced referee Laurence Cole to stop the bout at 1:02.

Mason, 134.6 lbs of Cleveland, OH is 13-0 with 11 knockouts. Ron, 134.7 lbs of Guarico, VEN is 14-6.

Charly Suarez remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Louie Coria in a junior lightweight fight.

In round eight, Coria landed a left that put Suarez backed into the ropes that was ruled a knockdown. That was not enough as Suarez dominated with boxing ability through just about the whole fight.

Suarez, 131.8 lbs of San Isidro, PHL won by scores of 7-74 twice and 76-75 and is now 17-0. Coria, 131.7 lbs of Moreno Valley, CA is 15-7.

Alejandro Guerrero scored an upset by stopping previously undefeated Jalen Walker in round seven of an eight-round lightweight bout.

In round two, Guerrero dropped Walker with a straight left hand. In round four, Guerrero scored another knockdown when Guerrero landed a right to Walker’s body.

In round six, Walker was credited with a knockdown after he landed a combination that bent Guerrero over that was ruled a count. In round seven, Guerrero landed a hard uppercut that hurt Walker on the ropes and the towel was thrown in by Walker’s corner after a follow up flurry had Walker defenseless at 1:36.

Ali Feliz made a successful pro debut with a second round stoppage of Anthony Woodson III in a scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

In round two, Feliz dropped Woodson with a hard left and right to the chin and the fight was stopped at

Feliz, 219.1 lbs of Danbury, CT is 1-0 with one knockout. Woodson, 280.2 lbs of Gary, IN 1-2.

LAS VEGAS – No dispute.

Josh Taylor made sure of it, knocking down Jose Ramirez twice enroute to winning all of the pieces to the junior-welterweight title with unanimous decision Saturday night in front of a small crowd at Virgin Hotels and an ESPN audience.

 The judges scored it the same way. It was 114-112 — once, twice, three times — all for Taylor. The margin was only two points, a nod perhaps to Ramirez’ toughness. But the difference between the two was clear, indisputable. There was no argument. No need for a rematch.

Taylor moved toward an even bigger date, perhaps with leading pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford at a heavier weight, welter. But there were no lingering questions Saturday about who he was. There’s not a better 140-pound fighter on this planet or any other.

“I have been waiting for this moment all my life,’’ he said to a crowd of fellow Scots who chanted his name and waved the Scottish flag.

Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) seized the moment midway through the fight with all of his advertised guile and power. He had promised to knock out Ramirez (26-1, 12 KOs). But that was the only promise he didn’t keep. He knocked put everything else, including some early doubt.  

Ramirez was first to enter the ring, wearing a robe in bright colors and dark shoes. Taylor followed, clad in Scottish tartan and a waistband in gold. It was a clash of culture. A clash of colors. A clash of styles.

After a couple of days marked by escalating trash talk, they had finally arrived at the moment when they would communicate with hands bound in white gloves and loaded with dark intent.  

Ramirez was the first to strike. For three plus rounds, he moved forward throwing right hand leads with his first step toward Taylor. It appeared to surprise Taylor. For few moments, the Scotsman looked uncertain, even dazed. But he would recover, adjust and mount the fight’s second and third strikes.

Late in the fourth and throughout the fifth, Taylor seemed to regain his footing and eventually the momentum. He imposed his will, if not his superior height on Ramirez, moving forward in much the same way that Ramirez had in the earlier rounds.

In the sixth, Taylor caught, a left-handed counter that landed on Ramirez’ chin and dropped him onto the canvas. In the seventh, Taylor struck again, this time in the split second after referee Kenny Bayless separated them. Bayless stepped back from the break and Taylor fired a left uppercut.

Ramirez was back on the canvas, down for a second time. He got up. But the spring in that first forward step was gone.

Suddenly, Taylor looked bigger.

Looked stronger.

Looked to be in control.

He was.

“We used his aggression against him,’’ Taylor said. “No disrespect. I’ve got nothing but love for Ramirez. This week was no disrespect. It was all part of the mind games to get in his head, to make him more eager to jump in at me and be more aggressive, to use his aggression against him.”

Ramirez wasn’t finished after the knockdowns. He never is. He carried on the fight with the resilience that has been a trademark to his career and his character. In the eleventh, an incoming Ramirez appeared to stun Taylor, who fell into him and then hung onto him. But it wasn’t enough and Taylor knew it. He waved a gloved right hand at the crowd, limited to 750 people by COVID protocol, as he walked to his corner after the eleventh.

One more round, and there would be no dispute.  

“I’ve got nothing but love for Ramirez. This week was no disrespect. It was all part of the mind games to get in his head, to make him more eager to jump in at me and be more aggressive, to use his aggression against him.

“I thought the scorecards were a little tight. I thought they were well wider than that. I wasn’t too happy with the selection of the judges, but I wasn’t going to moan. I was confident in winning this fight anyway.”

Ramirez said, “He took advantage of some of those clinches but, hey, I got back up and tried to give it my best and stay smart. I was never hurt. I was aware. I was just disappointed every time it happened. I tried to shake it off and get back to my rhythm. But it was overall a good fight. Hopefully, I get back and I learn from my mistakes. You win some and you lose some. 

“I felt like I landed some clean shots. It came down to the clinches. He would let his hands go as soon as he got his chance and I think I left it to the referee to do his part and it was a lack of experience on my part.”

Zepeda Decisions Lundy

Jose Zepeda didn’t have much time to celebrate. He won with precise punches. Then, he went back to work as a hopeful observer.

Zepeda (34-2, 26 KOs) kept himself in line for a junior-welterweight title with a unanimous decision, 98–92 on all three cards, over Hank Lundy (31-9-1, 14 KOs) Saturday in the Theater at Virgin Hotels.

Then, he took seat, hopeful for a shot at the winner of the next fight, Jose Ramirez-versus-Josh Taylor for all of the pieces to the 140-pound title. Zepeda, of Long Beach, Calif., looked solid against Lundy, a Philadelphia fighter. For 10 rounds, it was all business for Zepeda, who was coming off a wild Fight of the Year in October when he got up from four knockdowns to knock out Ivan Baranchyk. In 2019, he lost a majority decision to Ramirez.     

Sims Upsets Rodriguez via Majority Decision

The show began with an upset. Kenneth Sims Jr. scored it, opening the ESPN telecast for the Jose Ramirez-Josh Taylor bout with a stunner, a majority decision over junior-welterweight prospect Elvis Rodriquez at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels. Rodriguez (11-1-1, 10 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, started strong. But he appeared to tire midway through the eight-rounder. Sims (16-2-1, 5 KOs), began to catch up with him, rocking him with repeated blows and staggering him in the closing moments of a bout that ended with him leading on two cards, 78-74 on each. On the third, it was a draw, 76–76.  

Sims remarked, “I got a baby on the way, so that’s all the extra motivation I needed.” 

Mexican featherweight Jose Vivas overcame two knockdowns and a point reduction for a low blow to score a unanimous, yet narrow decision over Louie Coria of Moreno Valley, Calif. Vivas (21-1, 11 KOs) looked beaten in the third when Coria (12-5, 7 KOs) dropped him twice. But Rivas, a Manny Robles-trained fighter, came roaring back with an aggressive inside attack. Over the next five rounds, Vivas rocked him with repeated body blows. The judges noticed. All three scored it, 75-74, for him in the final fight on the ESPN+ portion of the Ramirez-Taylor card. 

Las Vegas junior-lightweight Andres Cortes (14-0, 7 KOs) relied on aggressiveness in a tough fight to stay unbeaten, scoring a 77-75, 78-74, 75-3 decision over Eduardo Garza (15-4-1, 8 KOs), a Texas fighter who kept it close with body punching throughout eight rounds of the fourth fight on Ramirez-Taylor card.  

Cuban featherweight Robeisy Ramirez (7-1, 4 KOs) combined precision and power to score repeatedly over six rounds for a one-sided decision over Ryan Allen (10-5-1, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas. Allen’s hands-down defense left him wide open for repeated blows from Ramirez throughout the third bout on the Jose Ramirez-Josh Taylor card.  

Raymond Muratalia (12-0 10 KOs), a lightweight from Fontana, Calif.,  had all the advantages. His strength, size and power overwhelmed Jose Gallegos (20-11, 15 KOs) midway through the fifth round of a scheduled eight-rounder. It was over, a TKO, at 1:40 of the round during the second fight on card featuring Jose Ramirez-Josh Taylor at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels.

Javier Martinez remained undefeated with a fourth round stoppage over Calvin Metcalf in a scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

In round four, Martinez landed a perfect right hook to the head that sent Metcalf down and out at 1:33.

Martinez, 162.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 4-0 with two knockouts. Metcalf, 160.4 lbs of Kansas City, MO is 10-6-1.

LAS VEGAS (May 11, 2021) — Before Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor clash for the undisputed junior welterweight world title Saturday, May 22 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, two featherweight firefights will get the action going.
 
Mexican contender Jose Enrique Vivas will battle the Robert Garcia-trained Louie Coria in a scheduled eight-rounder.
 
And, in an eight-rounder with a touch of gold, two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez will face Juan Tapia, the fighting pride of Brownsville, Texas.
 
Vivas-Coria and Ramirez-Tapia are among the undercard fights scheduled to stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.
 
Ramirez-Taylor headlines a junior welterweight tripleheader starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+. The main card will also showcase Jose “Chon” Zepeda in a 10-rounder versus “Hammerin” Hank Lundy and unbeaten sensation Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez against former U.S. amateur star Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. in an eight-rounder.
 
Vivas (20-1, 11 KOs) went 2-0 last year inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, outlasting Carlos Jackson in a Fight of the Year contender and knocking out John Vincent Moralde in the opening round. A former Mexican amateur standout, Vivas has won three straight bouts since a points loss to Ruben Villa. Coria (12-4, 7 KOs), from Moreno Valley, California, hopes to break a two-bout losing skid, although both defeats came in brawls that could’ve easily gone his way. Last June, he dropped a majority decision to Adam Lopez, and four months later, he knocked down 2016 Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceicao en route to a disputed unanimous decision verdict.
 
Ramirez (6-1, 4 KOs) turned his career around following a shocking decision defeat to Adan Gonzales in his professional debut. He avenged that loss last July via shutout decision and most recently knocked out Brandon Valdes (13-1 at the time) in the sixth round. Ramirez makes his 2021 debut against Tapia (10-3, 3 KOs), a seven-year pro who has gone the distance against 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Vladimir Nikitin and pound-for-pound standout Shakur Stevenson.
 
In other undercard action:

• Las Vegas native Andres Cortes (13-0, 7 KOs) will make his 11^th consecutive hometown appearance, this time against Eduardo “Thunder” Garza (15-3-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round junior lightweight tilt. Cortes made a memorable impression inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble last July, recovering from a fourth-round knockdown to outpoint Alejandro Salinas.
   
• Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (11-0, 9 KOs), the Robert Garcia-trained lightweight prospect from Fontana, California, will fight Jose Luis Gallegos (20-10, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Muratalla is coming off a third-round stoppage win over Luis Porozo last November on the Terence Crawford-Kell Brook card, his sixth consecutive knockout win.
   
• Middleweight prospect Javier “Milwaukee Made” Martinez (3-0, 1 KO), who was once the top-ranked American amateur at 165 pounds, will fight veteran Calvin Metcalf (10-5-1, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder. Martinez last fought Feb. 20 and knocked out Billy Wagner in the first round.

About Ramirez vs. Taylor

Promoted by Top Rank, Ramirez vs. Taylor is a 12-round showdown for the undisputed junior welterweight world championship, which will take place Saturday, May 22 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (and simulcast on ESPN+) at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

The telecast will also feature a 10-round junior welterweight battle between Jose “Chon” Zepeda and “Hammerin” Hank Lundy, in addition to an eight-round junior welterweight tilt between knockout artist Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez and Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. 

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