Highlights: Jonhatan Cardoso earns unanimous decision over Eduardo Ramirez

Jonhatan Cardoso claims another victory on ProBox, taking unanimous scores against Eduardo Ramirez

Jonhatan Cardoso outboxed Eduardo Ramirez tonight in Florida, using his size and skills to claim a unanimous decision victory in the final ProBox event of 2024.

Cardoso (18-1, 15 KO) notched his fourth straight victory on ProBox shows, this time electing to outbox Ramirez, who never stopped trying to force a firefight, but couldn’t ever fully change the pace. Cardoso hurt him midway through the 4th, but Ramirez hung in and recovered quickly, leading to an excellent action round from both men in the 5th.

Ramirez (28-5-3, 13 KO) gave a very game effort, wobbling Cardoso in the 9th round. But, even in his best rounds, Cardoso looked to edge most of the rounds in my eyes. Commentary didn’t agree, seeing it as a much more even fight, a sentiment shared by the official judges, who delivered scores of 97-93, 96-94, 96-94.

Whether you saw it close or wide, it’s a well-earned decision for Cardoso, who is 4-0 in the two and a half years since his only professional loss. Ramirez loses for the second consecutive time in 2024, having already fallen by decision to Mark Magsayo back in June, but looks strong even in defeat.

Luis Nunez UD-10 Leonardo Baez

A solid, if not exactly thrilling, win for Luis Nunez in the chief support. Nunez (20-0, 13 KO) largely controlled the fight, but did it with one-two action and never really brought much excitement. It was Leonardo Baez, fighting for the first time since a wide decision loss to Rey Vargas over three years ago, who showed real urgency.

Baez (21-6, 12 KO) never really threatened, but impressed with his intensity and tenacity through all sorts of adversity. After two rounds, Baez was already sporting a savage bruise on his left bicep and fighting in shoes wrapped in tape to try and stop him from slipping all over the ring. Baez’s nose started bleeding in the 6th, then really got smashed and started making a mess of his face in the 9th.

Baez made it the distance, but wasn’t really in the mix for the decision, losing unanimously on official scores of 98-92, 98-92, 99-91. Good effort in defeat, though, and definitely showed he’s still got the fighting spirit after a long time out of the ring.

Katsuma Akitsugi KO-6 Aston Palicte

Another outstanding performance from Katsuma Akitsugi, who notches a second consecutive knockout victory in his second ProBox appearance. Akitsugi (12-0, 3 KO) was all smart pressure from the opening bell, timing crisp shots to both sides of Palicte’s head. Akitsugi did quick work from all angles when he could set the tone, then still got the better of it when agreeing to stand and trade when Palcite tried to slug with him.

Palicte (28-7-1, 23 KO) started getting discouraged in the middle rounds, as Akitsugi rocked him early in the round, then hurt him to the body in the last 40 seconds too. Palicte survived one more round, but went down against the ropes early in the 6th and couldn’t get back to his feet before the 10 count.

Other results:

• Dante Benjamin TKO-1 Aaron Casper
• Amador Mendez TKO-1 Edwin Tercero

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