Two talented fighters trying to reestablish momentum will return to the ring Saturday in Fresno, California (DAZN).
Jose Ramirez, the 2012 U.S. Olympian and former unified 140-pound titleholder, is scheduled to face veteran Rances Barthelemy of Cuba in the main event. And 154-pound contender Vergil Ortiz Jr., who has stopped all 20 of his opponents, will take on experienced Thomas Dulorme.
Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) has become almost an afterthought since he lost a close decision to Josh Taylor for the undisputed junior welterweight championship in 2021.
The native of Avenal, which is near Fresno, has fought only twice since then. He defeated former two-division champ Jose Pedraza by a unanimous decision in March 2022 and stopped Richard Commey in 11 rounds the following March, meaning he will have been out of the ring for more than a year.
The 31-year-old has since moved from longtime promoter Top Rank to Golden Boy. He’s ranked by three of the four major sanctioning bodies, as high as No. 4 by the WBO.
“I’m ready for Saturday, honestly,” he said. “My goal is to get back on top and get all those belts back. I’m one of the best 140-pounders in the world and it starts by making a statement on Saturday. That’s what I was working on in the gym.”
He then listed his team members, including trainer Robert Garcia and his sparring partners. He feeds off of their confidence in him.
“They still believe I’m one of the best 140-pounders in the division. And I’m looking forward to being part of the big fights,” he said.
Barthelemy (30-2-1, 15 KOs) is a former two-division titleholder but hasn’t worn a belt since 2016. The 38-year-old is coming off a majority decision victory over Omar Juarez last May, which followed a sixth-round knockout loss against Gary Antuanne Russell the previous July.
Ortiz, ranked No. 1 by the WBA, has fought less than one full round — a quick knockout of Fredrick Lawson in January — since August 2022 because of health issues, including the muscle condition Rhabdomyolysis.
As a result, multiple scheduled fights against Eimantas Stanionis were canceled and his career seemed to be in jeopardy.
However, he evidently is healthy now and has a big fight set if he can get past Dulorme. He and former beltholder Tim Tszyu reportedly have agreed to fight on the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
Ortiz was asked whether there is a chance of overlooking Dulorme.
“There’s no chance at all,” he said. “I have to get through this fight first. Of course it’s a big opportunity if it’s scheduled. I don’t have any information outside of that. The information that I do know is that I have a fight this Saturday against Thomas Dulorme.
“We’ve trained two hard months for this fight. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Dulorme (26-6-1, 17 KOs) is a former title challenger trying to hang on at 34 years old.
The Puerto Rican hasn’t fought since July 2022, when he stopped journeyman Abrahan Peralta in three rounds. That followed consecutive losses to Jamal James, Stanionis and Jaron Ennis.
