Ringside Report: Josh Kelly Stops Placido Ramirez

Ringside Report: Josh Kelly Stops Placido Ramirez

By Matt Elliott

Josh Kelly’s homecoming proved a successful one as he stopped Placido Ramirez in round three of their final eliminator for the IBO super welterweight title. Kelly, fighting in Sunderland for the first time as a professional, was who the majority of the sell-out crowd had come to see and he did not disappoint, landing a crushing right uppercut with just over twenty seconds of round three remaining, which sent Ramirez immediately down to his knees, as he dabbed away at his nose. The Colombian was unable to beat the count, as Kelly got his first knockout victory since 2022.

It was a typical cagey start from Kelly, who used round one to take a look at his opponent. He opened up in the second, landing several combinations which rocked Ramirez back, and an uppercut similar to the one that ended the fight, only that time it landed flush on the chin, Ramirez taking it well. Then came the knockout blow; with Kelly starting to take control, he found the uppercut again, and it was all over. After a couple of frustrating performances, it was the perfect way to end the year, and being in front of a home crowd made it even sweeter.

The victory sets up a fight with the current IBO champion, James Metcalf. Whether Kelly decides to take that fight remains to be seen. He is the number one ranked fighter with the WBO and could also possibly target a domestic fight against the likes of Conor Benn, a name he mentioned in the post-fight interview. Whatever comes next, he will be hoping that big fights come his way in 2024.

At the head of the undercard, Dan Toward made his professional debut only a couple of weeks ago in Bolton, and he moved to 2-0 with victory over Nikolas Dzurnak. It was a decent display from Toward, who targeted the body of Dzurnak throughout, eventually putting him down in round five. He was unable to match the exploits of his debut, though, and find the knockout blow, instead taking a 60-53 decision.

Sunderland-born and based Travis Waters who is part of the Tenacity boxing stable, and trains out of Wearmouth boxing club, was also fighting in his home city for the first time as a professional, and he put on a career-best performance to stop the normally durable Mykhailo Sovtus for only the third time in his career. Waters dominated every second of every round, and the contest could have been halted sooner, with the Ukrainian rocked on more than one occasion. In the final round, after another flurry of punches, the referee rightly stepped in, handing Waters his second stoppage in as many fights. He moves to 5-0, and that is his fourth victory of 2023. He will be hoping to step up again in 2024. 

In the battle of the undefeated records, it was another Tenacity fighter, Ben Marksby, who came out on top, defeating Kurt Jackson 59-56 on points. It was a close encounter for much of the fight, with both men failing to take control, especially in the early rounds, although Marksby was doing enough to edge them. At times, the work of both men was either stifled or shots were blocked, making it a difficult fight to score but it was the Darlington man who did enough, winning his third contest of the year and moving to 9-0.

Tom Welland put on an exciting display in his second professional fight, beating Italy’s Yuri Zanoli 60-53 on points. Welland walked Zanoli down from the first bell, and it did not take him long to score a knockdown, landing a left hook that sent Zanoli to the canvas. He recovered, but that was a sign of things to come, as Welland stepped on the gas. A cut on the left eye, suffered in the third round, left the Italian with blood pouring down his face, and Welland took that as a signal to go looking for the victory. At times, he was over-eager in that pursuit and was caught on the counter once too often. In the end, he had to settle for a decision victory, but there was plenty to be pleased with.

On the pre-televised card, former Team GB fighter Harvey Lambert moved to 3-0 with victory over Fabio Cascone. Lambert was quick out of the blocks, working primarily to the body of Cascone but mixing his shots well. He scored a flash knockdown in the third round, with Cascone taking a standing eight count. The Italian recovered but never troubled Lambert, who secured a 40-35 points win.

Andrei Dascalu moved to 9-0 with a fairly forgettable showdown against Angel Emilov. Dascalu was on top throughout, without really troubling Emilov, although you always felt he could move through the gears if needed. In the end, despite the Bulgarian’s best efforts, Dascalu took a 59-56 decision.

In the opening fight of the night, Kazakhstan’s Tursynbay Kulakhment defeated Fouad El Massoudi. It was a dominant display from Kulakhment who worked well behind the jab and deservedly took a 60-54 points decision.