FRESNO, CALIF. (October 27, 2017) — Well that escalated quickly! It didn’t take long for undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas super lightweight champion JOSE RAMÍREZ to respond to the missive sent his way on Thursday by his upcoming opponent, undefeated Top-10 contender MIKE “Yes Indeed” REED. Reed (23-0, 12 KOs), from Waldorf, MD, is all that stands between Ramírez (20-0, 15 KOs), from Avenal, Calif., and his first world title shot. The WBC has already sanctioned the fight between Ramírez and Amir Imam, world-rated No. 3 and No. 1, respectively, for the vacant WBC super lightweight world title. Scheduled for 10 rounds, the Ramírez – Reed title fight will take place in Ramírez’s backyard, the Save Mart Center at Fresno State and headline “Fight For Water,” an exciting card benefitting the California Latino Water Coalition. It will be televised live and exclusively at 10:30 p.m. EST on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN app. The telecast will also feature top-rated contenders ARTUR BETERBIEV (11-0, 11 KOs), a Russian native who fights out of Montréal, Québec, Canada, and ENRICO KÖELLING (23-1, 6 KOs), of Berlin, Germany, battling for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight title.
On Thursday, Reed not only boasted that he would defeat Ramirez in front of the 2012 U.S. Olympians hometown fans, but said it would be a victory so definitive that the WBC would be forced to mandate that Reed take the title shot against Imam. Here are the responses from Team Ramirez:
“Ever since I started boxing at age eight, I never said “no” to a fight.,” said Ramírez. “I’m excited to fight another undefeated fighter like Mike Reed. I hope he brings the best out of me, because when he does he will quickly realize he is in for a fight. I have a lot of faith in my skills and I have been training extremely hard for this fight. I’m extremely focused and really want to make a statement. I will be more than ready on November 11th. I’m honored to be able to showcase my talent on a big stage like ESPN. God willing, November 11th will be a great night of boxing for the fans in attendance and the fans watching the fight at home.”
“I watched Mike in the amateurs for a few years and through the pros. He always was a good fighter, very very solid from day one. I disagree with his comments of being ready for Ramirez coming forward and there being ways to so easily counter it. It’s like saying you’re ready for a hurricane because you know it’s coming forward while you stand on the beach with your “plan.” Mike has never been hit by a hurricane or anyone in his career like Jose,” said Rick Mirgian, Ramírez’s manager and advisor. “I’m very aware of Reed calling out Ramirez time and time again the past couple years. I commend Top Rank’s matchmakers Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman for their deep compassion of Reed’s safety those couple years, as long as they could. But when Bruce or Brad has to give Reed one of their kidney’s or a liver after this fight then one of them is going to be very grumpy at the office and I don’t want to see Brad grumpy, that’s for sure. Ramirez never waited to sign or took his time to fight Reed. Ramirez had just agreed to fight five-time World Champion Tim Bradley right before Reed was offered this fight. Like Bradley and every person before placed in front of him, Jose has never said “no” to a fight at anytime.”
“I hope Mike ‘He’s In Need’ Reed knows how to swim because Jose is going to take him into deep water on November 11,” said Ramírez’s Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. “Since Reed is from Washington, D.C., let me make him a campaign promise: “Reed Jose’s fists. No new champion on November 11.”
Promoted by Top Rank®, remaining tickets to this world championship event are priced at $150 (floor), $88, $58 and $33, plus applicable fees. Tickets may be purchased at select Save Mart Supermarkets, online at Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 800 or at the Save Mart Center Box Office. For the Box Office hours go to savemartcenter.com.
Another sellout is expected on November 11. The previous Top Rank events at the Save Mart Center, headlined by Ramírez, produced a sellout of 13,700 last December, and 13,100 in 2015.
One of the most prestigious arenas in America, ‘Venues Today,’ a leading industry publication, listed the Save Mart Center among its ‘Top Stops’ for venues in the 10,000 to 15,000 capacity category. The venue came in as the No. 1 ranked collegiate venue, No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 12 based on concert grosses. Save Mart Center was one of seven SMG-managed arenas to rank in the Top 10 in this size category.
