By Ian S Palmer
Original article; https://www.sportsbetlistings.com/boxing/jose-ramirez-vs-rances-barthelemy-betting-odds-and-prediction/23298/
Former WBO/WBC Super Lightweight Champion Jose Ramirez of Avenal, California will be back in the ring this Saturday, April 27th when he takes on former IBF Lightweight Champion Rances Barthelemy of Cuba. The 12-round super lightweight fight from Fresno, California can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Ramirez lost his belts and the first fight of his pro career in May, 2021 when he dropped a close unanimous decision to Josh Taylor after being dropped in rounds six and seven. He bounced back in March, 2022 with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza and then stopped Richard Commey in the 11th round in his last outing a year later. Barthelemy was last in action in May when he beat Omar Juarez by a 10-round majority decision.
The 31-year-old Ramirez won the vacant WBC Super Lightweight Crown with a unanimous decision over Amir Imam in March, 2018 and defended it for the first time with a unanimous decision over Antonio Orozco before beating Jose Zepeda by majority decision and taking down Maurice Hooker in six to add the WBO title. He then met Viktor Postol in 2020 and took a majority decision. Ramirez attempted to unify the belts against Josh Taylor, who held the WBA and IBF versions, and lost a close 114-112 decision on all three scorecards despite being dropped twice.
Ramirez enters this contest with an impressive mark of 28-1 with 18 Ko’s and has boxed 162 rounds since turning pro back in 2012. He stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 72-inch reach and has quite a bit of pop in his fists as 64.3 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage but has gone the distance in six of his past eight fights. Ramirez enjoyed a fine amateur career and represented the USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England where he went 1-1.
He also faced Vasyl Lomachenko at the 2011 World Championships in Azerbaijan and was beaten 16-9 on points. Since turning pro Ramirez has also won the NABF Junior Welterweight Title as well as a couple of other regional belts as well as his world championship. As well as beating Commey, Postol, Hooker and Zepeda, Ramirez has also defeated Antonio Orozco, Amir Imam, Mike Reed, Issouf Kinda, Johnny Garcia, Jake Giuriceo, Robert Frankel, Ryusei Yoshida and Tomas Mendez.
The 38-year-old Barthelemy is a former IBF Lightweight Champion and IBF Super Featherweight Belt holder. He beat Argenis Mendez by unanimous decision in 2014 for the Super Featherweight Belt and defended it once against Fernando Saucedo. He moved up in weight and captured the vacant IBF Lightweight Title via a unanimous decision over Denis Shafikov in 2015 and defended it against Mickey Bey.
He then beat Kiryl Relikh by unanimous decision with both fighters hitting the deck. He had a rematch with Relikh a year later but lost a unanimous decision in a shot at the vacant WBA Super Lightweight Title. Barthelemy fought Robert Easter Jr. in 2019 in a shot at the vacant IBO and WBA Lightweight Titles with the fight ending in a draw. He’ll enter the ring this weekend with a record of 30-2-1 with 15 Ko’s.
Barthelemy, who now resides in Las Vegas, is stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 72.5-inch reach and has fought 202 rounds since turning pro in 2009 after enjoying a fine amateur career. He’s scored his share of knockdowns and knockouts over the years, but isn’t really known as a heavy hitter as his current knockout ratio stands at 50 per cent and has scored just two stoppages in his last 11 bouts. He’s also beaten Angino Perez, Antonio DeMarco and Arash Usmanee as a pro and once captured the Universal Boxing Organization International Lightweight title.
Prediction…
Ramirez usually finds a way to win and it sometimes appears he fights to the level of his opposition. He struggled somewhat against Taylor, Zepeda and Postol but looked sensational against Hooker. Barthelemy’s close to 40 years old but has lost just twice as a pro and can be a handful for anybody due to his skills. This should be a close contest but I’m expecting Ramirez to come out on top here, likely via a decision or late stoppage.
