In the small town of Avenal, in the middle of California’s Canyon, summers are intense and the work is hard. Temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius between June and August and the population works mainly in agriculture. This is the American city that Jose Carlos Ramirez calls home. Boxing filled his path with glory, but before all that, he knew firsthand what a teenage field action was like.
“At the age of 14, I told my father, ‘I want to go work in the fields as well to buy my own clothes,'” Ramirez proudly recalls in an interview with ESPN Deportes. “I was getting up at around five in the morning, and I was walking two or three blocks to take your pickup in a truck, and I see men and women between the ages of 50-60 and they didn’t fail, the work was tough, I was very athletic, I had the skill and the condition and I still feel Tired, but they didn’t get tired because they have the mentality that this job will provide food for their family. They were two different reasons to work, I thought about my clothes, but they are much more than that. “
What he experienced in this field at a young age, he shaped the vision that Jose Carlos has today as a person and a professional.
“My family has worked in the fields all my life to give me and my brothers the best, they taught me good principles. I came from a family that had a lot of love, not money, and my dad worked in the fields to earn a minimum, but a lot of love,” he said. “My family comes from the state of Michoacan. They immigrated to the United States in 1987, came to work in search of a better life.”
The combined WBC and WBO lightweight champ will have the opportunity to make history on Saturday (8 PM EST, ESPN Deportes, ESPN and ESPN +), as they enter the ring in search of sixth place. Absolute champion of division in the Four-Belts Era (since 1988). His rival, Josh Taylor, holds the IBF and International Boxing Federation Championships. If he succeeds, he will be the first boxer of Mexican descent to achieve this, as well as the second undisputed champion of the weight of the day (Teofimo Lopez) and the second to achieve in the ultra-lightweight (Terence Crawford in 2017).
“The most beautiful thing in all of this is that (Josh Taylor) comes without defeat and two titles, so I fight with the best, it’s not just anyone, I’m fighting my talent against a great boxer and that’s what motivates me. When I started my career it was with the mentality of being in the best of fights. In boxing and I think this is one of them, it’s one of the best fights of the year, “said the 28-year-old boxer.
Taylor recently described Jose Carlos’ style as a ferocious fighter going forward, which is something the British fighter would like to take advantage of to go to the knockout.
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The boxer, born in Hanford, California, remembers how his childhood was running alongside his father.
“I am not a boxer who moves forward without a defense, I know how to cope and I have an intelligence. I know the best way to understand where I have the advantage of winning a fight. I have different methods of boxing.” Jose Carlos, who represented the United States as an amateur at the 2012 London Olympics, answered: “Sometimes I lose.” My mind is to go knockout, but there are some boxers who have managed to get the best of me, like Josh Taylor.
The Scottish boxer boasts an unbeaten record 17-0 with 13 knockouts. Ramirez, for his part, also has a perfect 26-0 record with 17 wins over chloroform. Taylor and Ramirez are ranked 1 and 2 extremely lightweight in the ESPN Rankings.
“Life smiled at me. I’ve invested money and boxing has given me so much of my age, I do it because I love boxing and I do it so that everyone has this inspiration for an undefeated champion. This is why I stay unbeaten, I play boxing and train Strongly because if I lose, their spirits will drop (my popularity from Avinal) and I don’t want that to happen.
British publication, The Guardian described Jose Carlos as the most active boxer since Muhammad Ali. Ramirez uses his boxing platform to also fight outside the ring for his community’s rights in front of governors in the state capital in Sacramento. As part of his efforts, he called for immigration reform, worker rights, and the drought crisis due to water shortages in the countryside.
“In the things I fight sometimes I feel that if I remain undefeated, the politicians listen to me. I start talking with the rulers to improve the laws for them (the workers). As long as I remain undefeated and champion, I have the support behind me, they welcome me, I go to Sacramento and talk about different topics.” , “He said.
This Saturday in Las Vegas, Jose will not be alone in the ring, as his strength and struggle exceed only fame and money.
“They may not know it, but I learned a lot from watching them. Notice that they got up early and worked hard. One day I saw a lady in the field who fainted because the heat was so strong, I thought she wouldn’t come back the next day, but then she was there as if something It doesn’t work. Everything that stayed with me has made me a better son and a better father now that I have given birth to my children. This is why I like to give up some of my glory, “he concluded.
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