Hart-Ramirez in WBO, 168-pound title rematch

Undefeated, Mexican champion Gilberto Ramirez (38-0, 25 KO’s) will defend his WBO world super-middleweight title against Philadelphia’s Jesse Hart in a rematch at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas on Friday, December 14.

Despite being floored in the early stages of the fight in their first encounter, Hart hung tough and made a fight of it going the full 12 rounds before losing a decision.

So, Hart is excited to get back in the ring and prove he can better his first performance and come out a champion in this fight.

Hart has been asking for a rematch and he obviously sees something that he can bring to the table to make a difference in this fight. And, kudos to him for taking up the challenge as he is facing a fighter who has now had 12 rounds to dissect his skills. So, as anxious as Hart is for a second try, Ramirez will be very well prepared for what Hart brings in the second go-round.

Ramirez, who will be making the 5th defence of the title he won from German champion Arthur Abraham back in 2016, won’t be taking Hart lightly knowing Hart is very motivated and obviously feels he can bring something to the table he didn’t in their fight bout. Plus, despite being a long reigning champion, Ramirez is still looking to expand his fan base beyond hard-core boxing fans.

And, that can only happen if he can secure a high profile fight against one of the other 168-pound champions like England’s, WBA champ Callum Smith, Arizona’s, WBC boss David Benavidez or Venezuela’s IBF champ Jose Uzcategui.

So, we have two very motivated fighters.

In pre-fight interviews, both fighters expressed a desire to go out on fight night and show that they are indeed the best.

“This will be a good fight. I feel better prepared than the first time and even more convinced that I will finish him,” Ramirez said. “I’ve always said that I wanted to be the king of the division. I’ve been waiting for unification fights, and I’m still patient. I’m at my best, and against Hart, I want to show why I’m the best.”

Hart’s father, and trainer, Eugene “Cyclone” Hart was a legendary Philadelphia middleweight in the 1970’s. However, he never received a title shot despite facing some of great fighters of his era. Jesse will be looking to capitalize on his title shot and bring a world title belt home to the Hart family trophy case and said, “I have nothing derogatory to say about Gilberto Ramirez’, said Hart. ”At this point, I just want to go out there and perform”.