By: Sean Crose
Boxing returned to Atlantic City on Friday night as Boxing insider Promotions hosted a live card from the Tropicana. Justin Figueroa and Luis Caraballo Ramos were the main event fighters, as they were set to battle in a scheduled eight rounder at middleweight. This was a rematch as the two men had met before in a fight which ended in no contest last March. Suffice to say there was legitimate bad blood between the two fighters… At least as far as Ramos was concerned. Bad blood is something most people wish to avoid, though boxing fans love it, as it can be seen as a guarantee that the fighters will be sure to give it they’re all.
Local fighter Figueroa was without doubt going to be the popular attraction on Friday night. That didn’t mean however that Ramos didn’t stand a chance. Again their last fight had been ruled a no contest and that was at the Tropicana as well. That being said the popular Figueroa had never lost a fight as he slipped into the ring on Friday night. The fact that Ramos had more losses than wins on his resume meant it was clear Figueroa was the betting favorite as well as the popular favorite on Friday.
First however, John Leonardo took on Kevin Nunez in a junior featherweight affair scheduled for eight rounds. Leonardo started off well. Indeed his head movement and steady pressure were impressive. Leonardo then came on strong in the second. Sure enough, it looked at one point like the fight was about to end thanks to Leonardo’s solid punching. Nunez was simply outclassed. Sure enough the gutsy Nunez went down in the third. He got up and fought gamely, but it was clear he was in real trouble. Sure enough, the referee wisely stopped the fight after Nunez went down again.
It was time for the main event. Figueroa had a terrific first round for himself firing and landing well. Ramos had no real answers. Surprisingly enough Ramos continued to be aggressive in the second. Figueroa’s accuracy however was proving to be very difficult to overcome. Ramos dropped his mouthpiece before the end of the round. Ramos actually landed well on the third but his punches didn’t carry the force Figueroa’s did. It actually looked as if the fight was going to end later in the round as Figueroa really piled it on. Ramos was tough though, unwilling to just roll over and lose the fight.
With that being said a Figueroa body shot put Ramos down early in the 4th. Ramos got up so Figueroa put him down again. Ramos got up once again but he was in serious trouble. The third knockdown put Ramos down and out for the night. Figueroa subsequently celebrated by doing the worm in the middle of the ring. Without doubt Figueroa looked good on Friday. He was mature, determined, and focused. His punches carried great weight, but he didn’t allow himself to gas out, letting the victory come at its own pace.
“I’d like to take this chance to apologize to absolutely nobody,” Figueroa said afterwards, doing his own Conor McGregor impersonation. With that being said, Figueroa was gracious to Ramos who had been trying to get under his skin leading up to the fight. It was a strategy that worked. By staying locked into the business at hand, Figueroa found a way to stay in charge. In truth Ramos was clearly out skilled by Figueroa. Getting under Figueroa’s skin may have been the only way he could have hoped to win the fight. As things stand the future looks bright for the fighter known as “Mr Atlantic City.”
