Highlights and results: Jose Ramirez stops Commey in 11, Seniesa Estrada unifies

Jose Ramirez started hot and finished strong in front of an adoring crowd in Fresno, California, finishing Richard Commey in the 11th round on a sweeping left hook to the liver.

This was a two-mode fight that started and ended with Ramirez (28-1, 18 KO) pressing and bullying in dominant fashion. In between, Commey (30-5-1, 27 KO) rallied impressively when he managed to stay clear of the ropes and corner and keep Ramirez at distance.

Things seemed destined for an early finish, as Ramirez had Commey shaken, cornered, and hanging on for dear life within the first minute of Round 1. Commey seemed eager to keep things in close, which didn’t go well for him as Ramirez unloaded with body hooks and uppercuts. The tight quarters also allowed Ramirez to trap Commey consistently in the first few rounds. And while Commey blocked most of what came his way, he didn’t catch them all, and did little in return to keep Ramirez off of him.

Things swung in the middle rounds, as Commey used a long jab to maintain separation. He was much more successful that way, picking up a few rounds and limiting what had worked so well for Ramirez early. Ramirez seemed surprisingly passive in the later rounds, until coming out hot in the 11th and landing a fight-changing knockdown. Whether from damage to Commey or confidence for Ramirez, it was all one way from then on, ending on a left hook to the body that sent Commey to a knee he needed more than 10 seconds to get back up from.

It’s the first knockout win in almost four years for Jose Ramirez, and a resilient performance in defeat for Richard Commey. Commey isn’t young, and he may not have a championship ceiling at 140 pounds, but he’ll be a stiff test for second tier contenders if he chooses to keep fighting. As for Ramirez? No telling what his plans are after hastily abandoning a mandatory shot at Regis Prograis. ESPN+ cut the post-fight short, and any interview clips online so far make no mention of his future intentions.

Ramirez vs Commey highlights

Undercard highlights and results

Seniesa Estrada UD-10 Tina Rupprecht

Bafflingly wide scorecards in what was actually a very well-matched and exciting fight in the co-feature between Seniesa Estrada and Tina Rupprecht.

First things first, Estrada (24-0, 9 KO) looked very good tonight. She was moving constantly, and had a much more active jab. But, the official scores of 100-90 from all three judges are insulting to Rupprecht (12-1-1, 3 KO), who slipped and blocked a ton of punches, and did brilliant work with counter hooks. Rupprecht snapped Estrada’s head back on multiple occasions and left Estrada with marks and swelling on both sides of her face.

Unofficially, Bad Left Hook had it 96-94 for Estrada, and that was with more than a couple of debatable rounds tallied in Rupprecht’s favor. So, wider cards in Estrada’s favor were expected. Still, three clean sweep cards are an insult to a very good fight between two worthy champions.

Estrada finished strong, and deservedly leaves with what used to be Rupprecht’s WBC belt at 105 pounds to pair with the WBA title she already had. But, this was a much, much better fight than the official scores imply. Don’t hesitate to catch a replay if you missed it live.

Antonio Mireles SD-6 Patrick Mailata

Antonio Mireles is known for spectacle and novelty, not necessarily craft and fluidity. That can generate some quality entertainment, which is exactly what we got in a heavy-handed big boy six-round opener between him and Patrick Mailata. Or, as one of our live coverage commenters called it: “half a ton of fun.”

Mireles (7-0, 6 KO) looked very unsure what to do whenever Mailata (6-2, 3 KO) pressured him. He looked even more discombobulated when Mailata caught him on the temple late in the 3rd and sent him to the canvas on very, very wobbly legs.

Six rounds is a long time for a guy who weighed in at 321 pounds, though. And, to put it as kindly as possible – Conditioning issues limited Mailata’s attack in the last half of this one. Unofficially, I still think he did more than enough to earn the decision.

But, it’s certainly nice when you’re a house prospect under the promoter’s banner. Official judges had it 57-56 and 57-56 for Mireles, and 57-56 for Mailata. It’s a split decision win for Mireles, who remains undefeated for one more fight, at least.