Golden Boy signs John “Scrappy” Ramirez to promotional contract

Golden Boy announced the signing of John “Scrappy” Ramirez to a promotional contract. The 27 year old fighter, from Los Angeles, had his debut fight in December 2020 in Galveston, Texas, a fight he won by TKO. Scrappy would go on to earn a record of 12 W (8 KO) 0 L 0 D, with his last 5 fights having been on Golden Boy fight cards, including being featured in the main event at Fantasy Springs Casino last February.

 Scrappy has fought on the undercard of two previous Gilberto Ramirez fights, and ironically, is scheduled to make his first official appearance as a Golden Boy fighter on the upcoming Gilberto Ramirez vs Joe Smith card on October 7, 2023 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Scrappy is matched up against Panamanian boxer Ronal Batista, with a fight record of 15 W (9 KO) 3 L (2 KO)  0 D. This will be Bastista’s first fight in the United States, coming off a TKO loss to Julio Cesar Martinez in May of this year in Zapopan, Mexico.

LA Fight Club - The Golden Boy Days at the Belasco

In January 2015, Golden Boy announced the signing of a group of young fighters, filling its stable with both US and international talent with varying levels of experience.  Among the names of local fighters joining the ranks of Golden Boy included; Abraham Lopez, Roy Tapia, Christian Gonzalez, Emilio Sanchez, Jesus Ivan Delgado, and Nick Arce, Mercito Gesta and Oscar Negrete. Golden Boy would continue to add others along the way, which including Joet Gonzalez at the beginning of March 2015. These recently signed fighters, and the launch of the LA Fight Club series at the Belasco Theater in Downtown LA, went hand-in-hand. The fight series allowed Golden Boy to feature and develop this cohort of fighters, giving them television exposure in a club environment that was easy to fill to capacity. The LA Fight Club also allowed Golden Boy to bring in their existing prospects and seasoned fighters, and if they weren’t there fighting, they were likely there watching..

The Belasco itself had changed uses over the years, starting as a theater for live performances in 1926, later it switching to motion pictures and perhaps even burlesque, and in the present as a music and entertainment venue. Located on South Hill Street in Downtown Los Angeles, it is a historic structure that has a colorful history, having also served as a church, a movie set as well as having been shuttered for a period  of time before its current iteration. It is a modestly sized theater, with a very ornate interior, and a main floor with a tiered balcony above. For boxing, the ring would occupy the middle of the main floor, with ringside seating on opposing sides seemingly only some 6-7 rows deep. There was a standing only area on the side nearest the lobby, setback just far enough to allow the boxing commission room to work along the apron of the ring, and media, television, and support operations where staged on the far side where the stage would have been.

On March 6, 2015, the series kicked off with an 8 bout fight card televised on Fox Sports 1, and headlined by Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, whose record stood at 14-0-0. Diaz walked away with a TKO win over his opponent, Juan Luis Hernandez (17-4-1). Of the 7 other fighters appearing on the undercard, Roy Tapia (10-0), Christian “Chimpa'' Gonzalez (8-0), Jesus Ivan “Striker” Delgado (3-0), and Emilio Sanchez (5-0) were all drawn from the cohort Golden Boy had signed in early January of 2015. The card also included Jason Quigley (3-0), Santiago Guevara (8-0), and Cesar Quinonez (1-0). Of that side of the card, all would win except Guevara, who lost his fight, and Tapia, whose fight ended in a draw.

On April 2, 2015, Joet Gonzalez (8-0-0), who had signed with Golden Boy about a month earlier, made his appearance at the Belasco, his ninth professional fight, which he won by KO. He would fight two more times at the Belasco during his 7 years with Golden Boy. Joet had previously fought on Golden Boy fight cards, including his debut in 2012, even though he was unsigned until 2015. Having successful fights on the undercard of a promoter's event provides exposure and sometime leads to a contract…or not. To that point, Pablo Rubio Jr. debutted and then fought a total of 9 times at the Belasco and was apparently never signed by Golden Boy, despite having won all of his fights..

In the first year of the LA Fight Club, 2015, the series ran 11 fights at the Belasco. In 2016, the number of bouts peaked at 13. Then the numbers began to decline, down to 9 in 2017, 7 in 2018, and finally after nearly a year’s break, the last 2 fights took place towards the end of 2019. During the LA Fight Club’s run, at least 15 fighters would make their professional debut at the Belasco, 12 of them out of the “A” corner. Oscar Duarte would make his first U.S. appearance there in September 2015, coming from Mexico with a record of 3-0-1. Duarte is still an active Golden Boy fighter, having won his main event at Fantasy Springs just this past May. His record currently stands at 26 wins (21 by KO), 1 loss (0 by KO) and 1 draw.

 

Of those “A” corner fighters that had their pro debut at the Belasco, 8 are now inactive, and of those who are still active, only Alexis Rocha (now 23-1-0) and Jousce Gonzalez (now 14-0-1) are still fighting for Golden Boy. Jousce Gonzalez not only debuted there, his first 7 pro fights were fought and won there, all by KO. When asked about his memories of Belasco, Jousce replied, “The Belasco was a great venue for up and coming fighters. Every seat was a good seat for the fans and it made you want to put on a show and get a knockout. I remember always wanting to steal the show. The crowd was always so loud and it got you excited as a fighter.”

While most clamored to be up close and personal, some excellent views could also be had from the balcony, especially the front row, that allowed unobstructed sight lines looking directly down into the ring action a relatively short distance below. Regardless of where you sat, it was an intimate environment where one could often see Oscar De La Hoya—with an occasional celebrity in attendance—merely sitting in the front row, and not on the other side of a barrier. Of course, Golden Boy was active in promoting events at other various sized venues during this era, both big and small, and many of these fighters would appear on those cards as well. In fact, a good number of fights were also held at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, a considerably larger facility, that Golden Boy still uses to this day.

 From its inception, bouts were televised, with a few of the early fights appearing on Fox Sports, but thereafter almost exclusively broadcasted on Estrella TV. In October 2018, DAZN and Golden Boy apparently reached an agreement for future fights to begin appearing on their streaming service beginning in 2019. October 12, 2018 was the last LA Fight Club for nearly a year and the last one to be broadcast on Estrella TV. As for the final two fights of the LA Fight Club series, they were held in September and November of 2019, and there is no reference for a designated broadcaster listed in Boxrec. Undoubtedly, changes in broadcast sponsorships that helped to support fights in a number of smaller venues over the years had begun to decline as streaming app services, including ppv, began to consolidate the broadcast market for boxing. Overtime, the likes of ESPN Friday Night Fights, Solo Boxeo Tecate, FS1, and others began to fade away. 

And so on November 14, 2019, the final LA Fight Club took place with a five bout card, As it came down to the final two fights, Charles Huerta (then 21-6-0) would lose to Jonathan Oquendo-Arnaldi (then 30-6-0). That would be Huerta’s last fight, effectively ending his career that night at the Belasco with a record of 21-7-0. Carlos Morales (then 19-4-3) was matched against Mercito Gesta (then 32-3-2), a fight that ended in a draw. Morales would go on to have only one more fight after that in 2020, a loss at the hands of Jorge Linares at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Morales would end his career with a record of 19-5-4.

After 5 years, 42 fights, and some 227 bouts, give or take a few, it was a wrap at the LA Fight Club, and the series was no more. There are many fighters who fought under the ornate dome of the Belasco during the run of the LA Fight Club, far too many to acknowledge individually, though many would be familiar to fight fans of that era. But residing within the memories of those who either fought, attended, worked at the venue or watched the fights on television, it was a special time at a unique place that won’t likely be forgotten soon!

Postscript:

And what of the fighters that were signed at the beginning of 2015 that were mentioned at the beginning of this article? 

Abraham Lopez would fight at the Belasco 3 times, his last fight with Golden Boy was in September 2017 at the Forum, a fight he won. He then ended his career with a record of 23 wins (16 by KO) 1 loss (1 KO) 1 draw. 

Roy Tapia fought at the Belasco twice. His final fight was at Fantasy Springs in Decenber 2016, where he lost to Ronny Rios. Roy left boxing with a record of 12 wins (6 by KO) 2 losses (1 by KO), 2 draws.

Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez fought a total of 9 times at the Belasco. During his career, he incurred 4 losses beginning in 2017, with the first one at the Belasco. His final loss was at Fantasy Springs in June 2019. This would be the final fight of his career, and he left boxing with a record of 19 wins (15 by KO), 4 losses (2 by KO), 0 draws.

 Emilio Sanchez fought at the Belasco 8 times. The final fight of his career was in 2022, at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, where he suffered a loss by KO. He left boxing with a record of 19 wins (12 by KO), 2 losses (2 by KO), and 0 draws.

Jesus Ivan “Striker” Delgado fought 7 times at Belasco, and would experience his first career loss there (then 11-0-1) to Charles Huerta (then 18-5-0). Delgado was released from Golden Boy in 2019. He picked up up 3 more losses from 2019 to 2021.  He took a 2 year break from boxing, but had a comeback fight on August 26th of this year in Ontario, CA. He won his last fight and hopes to to continue to reconcile his past and have success going forward in boxing. HIs fight record stands at 14 wins (6 by KO), 4 losses (3 by KO), 2 draws.

Read previous article on Delgado at:

http://www.thevicariousboxer.com/2023/08/ivan-striker-delgado-seeks-comback-win.html

Nick Arce had his debut at the Belasco and fought a total of 3 times there. He suffered his first defeat in 2016 at Fantasy Springs, and walked away from boxing with a record of 8 wins (6 by KO), 1 loss, 0 draws. 

Mercito Gesta is still active, having just come off a fight on September16, 2023 against William Zepeda, where he suffered a loss by KO. His record stands at 34 wins (17 by KO) 4 losses (2 by KO) 3 draws.

Oscar Negrete fought at the Belasco 8 times. He may be remembered for his trilogy fight against Joshua Franco. Two of those 3 fights ended in draws, with Negrete losing once to Franco. Negrete fought 8 times at the Belasco and ended his career after a loss to Ronny Rios at Fantasy Springs in 2021. His record stands at 19 wins (7 by KO) 3 losses (0 by KO) 2 draws.

Joshua Franco had his debut fight at the Belasco in 2015 and had his first five fights there, for a total of 8 appearances. He announced his retirement this year after his second career loss in Tokyo, Japan just this past June. Franco ended his career with a record of 18 wins (8 by KO) 2 losses (1 by KO) 3 draws.

Joet Gonzalez fought at the Belasco 3 times. He was signed with Golden Boy for 7 years. In 2022, he signed with Top Rank, and is still active. Just last week, September 15th, he had his 3rd shot at a world title, this time challenging Luis Lopez, who held the IBF World Featherweight belt. Lopez successfully retained his title by unanimous decision. Joet’s record stand at 26 wins (15 by KO) 4 losses (0 by KO) 0 draws.

Read previous article on Joet at:

http://www.thevicariousboxer.com/2023/08/joet-gonzalez-aims-to-come-home-world.html

Note: Due to the vast amount of data that was being manually tabulated, numerical values cited in this article are considered to be only relatively, not absolutely, accurate. All efforts were made to be as precise as possible, though errors in data collection, recording, and treatment could have inadvertantly effected outcomes.

Data sources include:

https://boxrec.com/

https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/10/17/dazn-inks-11-fight-365-million-deal-with-canelo-alvarez-golden-boy-promotions/

https://www.ringtv.com/tag/la-fight-club/

https://www.thebelasco.com/

https https://www.ringnews24.com/2015/01/09/golden-boy-promotions-inks-slew-of-international-talent-to-start-2015/://www.historictheatrephotos.com/Theatre/Belasco-Los-Angeles.aspx

https://www.boxingscene.com/joet-gonzalez-comes-on-board-with-golden-boy--88174

ESPN: Emanuel Navarrete to defend title vs. Robson Conceicao on Nov. 16

 ESPN reports the following:

Emanuel Navarrete will defend the WBO junior lightweight title against Robson Conceicao on Nov. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, it was announced on Friday's "Top Rank on ESPN" broadcast.

The fight, which will be Navarrete's third of 2023, will serve as the chief-support bout to the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos lightweight title fight.

Read full article at:

https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/38409721/emanuel-navarrete-defend-title-vs-robson-conceicao-nov-16

Joet Gonzalez comes up short on his quest for a world title against Luis Lopez

Joet Gonzalez had his third shot at a world title last Friday, August 15th, in Corpus Christi, challenging Luis Lopez, who was defending his IBF World Featherweight belt.  Gonzalez came out swinging from the opening round, fought a tough and aggressive fight, but came up short on the scorecards. In the end, Lopez retained his belt by unanimous decision (112-116, 110,118, 111, 117), a decision that may seem a little wide given Gonzalez’s overall performance. Gonzalez never went down, nor looked like he was ever in serious trouble, as he sought to press Lopez throughout the fight showing his determination to take the win. Joet's record now stands at 26 wins, 4 losses, and 0 draws. Luis advanced to 29 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws. Understandably, Gonzalez expressed his disappointment.

See earlier article:

http://www.thevicariousboxer.com/2023/08/joet-gonzalez-aims-to-come-home-world.html

Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarette is ready for a homecoming

 Emanuel Navarette is ready for a homecoming fight in Mexico, Top Rank reports. Since December 8, 2018 when Vaquero made his first US appearance at Madison Square Garden, he has fought 13 times, only 2 of which have been in Mexico, the last being in Mexico City in 2020. He has fought in the U.S. 6 times since that last fight in Mexico. His current fight record stands at 38-1-0 and holds the WBO World Super Featherweight Championship Title.

Joaquin “Chico” Chavez: The Anatomy of a Journeyman Fighter

 

Unlike other kids who may have started boxing at a young age, Chico was left to deal with the stark realities of the intercity and an unstable homelife, including an abusive father, who eventually ended up in prison.  He grew up in East Los Angeles and had to navigate life in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, dealing with the harsh realities of everyday crime, poverty, drugs, and gangs. He had been shot and stabbed, ran with a gang, somehow survived and has the scars to prove it.  If ever there was a boxer’s story being written, this one follows an all too familiar script.  According to Heiskanen, in the book, “The Urban Geography of Boxing, “...the greatest number of fighters have come from the ranks of the most impoverished segments of society”(2). At the very least, boxing has traditionally been considered to firmly reside within the ranks of the working class.

At the age of 18, his grandfather saw him get into a fight and he “knock out some gangster with one punch”, according to Chico, and told him he should be boxing and to go to a boxing gym in Downtown LA. There, he found himself training with Al Stankie, whose wife Panchita would wrap his hands. After a while, it became difficult to get to the downtown gym. But something about boxing had begun to resonate with him. By now he was living in Commerce with his grandfather, so he wandered into the Commerce Boxing Gym in Bristow Park. It was here that he met his boxing trainer and mentor, Alfonso Marquez, whom he would develop an almost father-son like relationship with–something he was sorely missing as he grew up. It was also there he started his amateur career with Alfonso, and over the course of several years, he fought 32 bouts, with 17 wins, 4 by knockout (KO) and 2 by TKO, with 15 losses, 0 by KO. Boxing served to pull him away from the streets and gangs and once he started training, he never looked back. Eventually, his grandfather sold the house and moved to Arizona, and not having anywhere else to go, he went with him. He then received a fateful call from his trainer, he had a sponsor for Chico and wanted him to come back and turn pro. 

And so began his professional career, on August 19, 2011, fighting at the Convention Center in Riverside. His opponent, Andrew Ibarra, was also making his pro debut, but it was Chico that won by TKO. It was Andrew’s first and only fight. Chico would next appear on a Golden Boy fight card at Fantasy Springs Casino in December of 2011.  It ended in a draw, so did the next fight, another Golden Boy event, this time at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, on the undercard that featured Jesse Vargas in the main event. He would accumulate 5 losses after that before he would land another pair of wins.  He told me that after his first loss, he never fought out of the “A” corner again. 

And so his career went, some losses, an occasional win or two, maybe a draw, but he never got stopped, he never got knocked out! If he got knocked down, he always got back up in time to continue. Two of his wins were against undefeated fighters, one with a record of 8-0, the other 7-0, all 3 of his draws were against undefeated fighters, 4 if you include a debut opponent. He fought frequently because fighting meant he could make some money. He wasn’t afraid to face anyone, nor to lose, a trait that perhaps his tough upbringing helped to instill.  Several familiar names that stood out to me included: Giovanni Santillan who won by UD at the Texas Station Casino in 2012 (Santillan won a fight against Alexis Rocha at The Forum in October 2023), and Elvis Rodriguez, then 2-0-0, who Chico fought to a draw at Pechanga Casino in 2019. Chico’s last fight was in November 2019. His record stands at 9 wins-19 losses-4 draws, 2 wins by KO, 0 losses by KO. Chico was a journeyman fighter, a title one doesn’t seek but that one that may nevetheless be earn by an unfortunate career trajectory.

You can run but you can’t hide, boxing had provided an alternative to what he experienced growing up in the barrio, providing him a sense of identity, belonging, kind of a pseudo family or fellowship, and a few dollars as well. But having a child, then a relationship gone sour, a need for income, including the unfortunate death of this trainer, Alfonso in 2019, all led him to seek an escape from years of functioning in survival mode. Somehow, he made his way up to Northern California. There, he found both solitude and a job in a sparsely populated area working at a farm in an area known for its Redwood forests and, since its legalization, a home to open marijuana cultivation.  The nearest town had a population of only 1,500. He hadn’t quit boxing, he was merely taking a break from his life and intended to eventually return, both to “civilization" and to boxing.

 

After several years of relative seclusion, the quietness grew too loud and he was ready to start rebuilding his life, seemingly from stratch. He found his way back to Las Vegas, a place he had previously lived and trained for several years.  According to Chico, he used to work out at Feroz Fight Factory, had been close to the Vargas family including the young Vargas boys, Emi, Amado, and Fernando Jr, but things had changed over the years. The three boys are all grown up and have careers as pro boxers. Chico says they no longer talk. He works in the service industry, takes a bus for up to an hour to get there, but doesn’t complain. He hopes to one day have a car, but first things first. Somehow, while his life and boxing career might be viewed as less than idyllic by most, it is a long way from the streets that he came from, and boxing was the means by which he found a way out. The alternative, gang life, drug addiction, prison, or death, are all real possibilities that others from East Los Angeles have sometimes failed to survive.

There are many ways to measure success in life, in this case, money or an impressive fight record may not be the most important thing, not for everyone.  At the very least, Chico had earned the reputation as a tough journeyman fighter who was very likely going to go the distance, would test his opponent, and if they were distracted for a moment, one could possibly see an upset in the making. For eight years he climbed into the ring for a total 32 professional bouts, the kid from Boyle Heights who only started boxing at 18, turned pro at 23, never officially retired but has otherwise been inactive for 4 years. I am not completely convinced that the story ends here, there is always the possibility that Chico might climb back through the ropes at least one more time just because at the core of his identity he is still a fighter and that’s what fighters do.

 

Note:

 

A journeyman is a title or status used in boxing to describe a fighter who has abilities though maybe not the best, but they may be nevertheless tough. Their record may be mixed or just plain upside down, with far more losses than wins. Their hope for a title shot, to be signed by a promoter and fight out of the “A” corner is undoubtedly long gone, though I have met a few who had hope of rehabilitating their record and getting back on the winning track, maybe bolstered by a recent upset victory. Various reasons may keep one in the game even when the odds are near impossible to change their destiny. One may be financial, another is simply their identity as a pro and the desire to fight, even if it is only in the “B” corner. The identity as a professional boxer may transcend the length and success of their career, itself being a source of pride, even if their record on paper isn’t particularly impressive. I have sat ringside next to people who told me they had been a fighter, and several volunteered that they were, “only a journeyman.”  Some journeymen gain a reputation for being very tough and sly, denying their opponent a quick and easy win, testing them and taking them to the distance, and even occasionally, pulling off that upset win. Its a dirty job but somebody has got to do it.

Manny “Gucci” Flores takes win by second round KO - September 7 in Indio, CA

Manny “Gucci” Flores returned to the ring in the co-main event at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA, tonight on a Golden Boy fight featuring Curiel vs. Pennington. Flores had just came off an unexpected loss in this same venue last June 8 to Walter Santibanes.  Flores, who came into that fight undefeated, walked away with a record of 15-1-0, while Santibanes advanced to 12-2-0. 

                                                              Flores and Ortiz at weigh-in

Flores had much to prove before a packed hometown crowd that came to see Flores reconcile his recent loss—and he delivered!  Gucci Manny scored a decisive win, downing his opponent, Jerson Ortiz (17-7-0), twice in the first round and a third time at 50 seconds into round 2. The last one closed the deal, as the ref waived off the fight with Ortiz on his knees, giving the Cochella resident a win by KO. Flores’ record now stands at 16-1-0.

Miguel “Alacran” Berchelt to return to the ring - October 14 in Merida Yucatan

 

After months of intensive training, Miguel Berchelt (38-3-0) appears to be more than ready to make a comeback in his hometown of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. His return comes after his last 2 fights that he both loss, one in 2022 by referee stoppage against Nakathila, and the other in 2021 by KO to Oscar Valdez. A veteran of 41 bouts, Miguel’s only other loss was by TKO in 2014. He began his professional career in 2010 with a fight in Merida.

He first appearance in the United States was on March 30, 2013 at the Mandalay Bay Casino, coming into the ring at 17-0, a fight he won by TKO.