Top Rank on ESPN features a pair of world title fights on Saturday night. Unfortunately, they are both intended to be showcase bouts and not necessarily competitive fights. Top rated super middleweight Gilberto Ramirez defends his WBC belt in the main event while IBF super flyweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas makes his American and Top Rank debut in the co-feature.
I cover a lot of fighters. Every Tuesday (or close to it) I publish my weekly series “Under the Radar Fight Results” in which I take a deep dive into the sport well beyond what the major promoters are doing. I don’t bring this up just to toot my own horn so to speak, but to point out that Habib Ahmed (25-0-1, 17 KOs) is about as obscure of a world title challenger as there ever is. Until this fight was about to be booked, even I had no idea that he so much as exists.
Here is what I know now. Habib Ahmed has fought his entire career in his native Ghana. His opponents have a combined record comfortably below .500, 157-188-10. Boxrec’s computers think he is the third best super middleweight in all of Ghana. But if you remove the Ghanaian fighters who have relocated to the United States, he’s number one! When announcing this fight to the masses, Dan Rafael hyped his win over Phillip Kotey for his owners at ESPN. That’s pretty funny too. Good on Ahmed for beating a guy at super middleweight whose claim to fame was being stopped in two by Kell Brook seven years ago at welterweight, I guess.
Here is what else I know. He isn’t fight a 39 year old Phillip Kotey tomorrow night. WBO super middleweight titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (36-0, 24 KOs) is my top rated super middleweight in all the sport. Granted, he is one of the weaker number one ranked fighters in any division, but he is still an excellent talent. The 26 year old has done really well with his rangy, boxing style from the outside. Zurdo did struggle a bit with a late Jesse Hart surge last time out, however, so I guess this is a sort of get well fight. He also hasn’t finished anyone in four years now, so perhaps this fight is designed in part with the idea of changing that.
Of course, I must add the following caveat: Just because we have never seen someone fight at a high level doesn’t necessarily mean that they cannot. Hasn’t doesn’t equal can’t. Guys have burst onto the scene out of no where before. I do not expect that to happen here though.
I also feel compelled to point out how much less annoying this matchup is on basic cable than it would have been on a pay channel. Bob Arum’s Top Rank on ESPN series has been pretty good overall, really. Given that this card is both free with my cable package and an outlier in terms of matchup quality, I can’t get up in arms about it like I might a terrible PBC card on Showtime. It’s a pretty terrible main event, sure, but it is what it is.
IBF super flyweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas (28-1-1, 19 KOs) is one of the better keep secrets in the sport. He will be making both his Top Rank and American debuts here in Corpus Christi Saturday night in the show’s co-main event. His opponent will be little known Mexican non-contender Israel Gonzalez (21-1, 8 KOs). Much like in the main event, this is a mismatch on paper and I know little about the title challenger. His one loss was to a 6-2 fighter in 2016 and Gonzalez has no notable wins.
All in all, this is a pretty poor card. Like I said above though, the series has generated some good will and at least it is on ESPN and not say HBO. I am going to keep the pitchfork in the barn and try to enjoy these showcases for what they are. Who knows? Maybe Ahmed or Gonzalez will surprise. I mean, they won’t, but I am trying to be optimistic here.
The televised broadcast begins at 10:15 PM Eastern on ESPN. If you want a longer show, the prelims start at 7 PM on WatchESPN.com. They feature good fighters too in contenders Jesse Hart, Rohan Murdock, and Jose Benavidez. Top prospects Teofimo Lopez and Gabriel Flores Jr will also be in action.
