"If I had a world champion, I would make sure he was known. Instead, Ramirez said a member of Roach's team "told us to go in the back door and we'll see you inside," while Roach walked the red carpet. ![]() Ramirez had just won the title and hoped that he would walk the red carpet with Roach, who would show off his new champion. He and a close friend attended HBO's March 29 Hollywood premier of the network's documentary on wrestling legend Andre the Giant with Roach. It was very hard to leave," Ramirez said.īut then something happened that Ramirez said made the decision clear for him. "I still wasn't 100 percent sure of leaving the Wild Card. I felt I owed them that respect, to give them that credit of becoming a world champion together."Īfter he won the title, Ramirez said he was still not sure if he would make the change. I couldn't make the move before becoming a world champion. "Marvin spent a lot of time with me, and I wanted Marvin to be there and see become a world champion, and Freddie also invested some time in me. "I liked how he worked, but I had to go to the Wild Card to finish up," Ramirez said. He has known Garcia for years, and a couple of months before the Imam fight, before he began his full camp at Wild Card, he went to train with him for about a week. "That is happening on Saturday."īefore the fight with Imam, Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs), 25, had already begun to consider making the switch to Garcia. ![]() Since I was little, I wanted to become a world champion and then be able to defend the title in front of the fans of the Central Valley," Ramirez said. "It's bigger and I pay less than in L.A.," Ramirez said, laughing.Īnd so Ramirez will go into his first title defense with Garcia as his chief second instead of Roach when he squares off with heavy underdog Danny O'Connor (30-3, 11 KOs), 33, a southpaw from Framingham, Massachusetts, in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card Saturday night at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, where Ramirez, from nearby Avenal, California, is a huge draw and the toast of the community for his ring exploits and tireless community service. So committed to the change, Ramirez rented an apartment for himself, his girlfriend and their 2-year-old son that is only a few minutes from Garcia's gym in Riverside, California, so he wouldn't have to make the daily hour-plus drive from his place in Los Angeles. He's an amazing coach, but now it's a new chapter and I'm happy I'm with someone that feels the same excitement about my career and who does the little things to make me comfortable," Ramirez told ESPN. Ramirez left Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, where Roach assistant Marvin Somodio was usually his hands-on trainer, to go with trainer Robert Garcia. ![]() Though Ramirez professes a deep respect and admiration for all Roach did for him, and for his Hall of Fame career, he also felt like he needed more attention and to be more of a priority.Īnd so despite a career-best win, Ramirez called Roach in April and told him he was moving on. Usually, fighters change trainers when they lose, not when they win the biggest fight of their career. Little did anyone know at the time, but that would be their final fight together. It was a joyous victory, and when the scores were read, Ramirez celebrated with his team, including longtime trainer Freddie Roach. On March 17 in New York, Jose Ramirez accomplished a lifelong dream as he outfought and outboxed Amir Imam to win a vacant junior welterweight world title. Jose Ramirez defends title with new trainer and renewed motivation You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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