[Writer’s Note: Warning: some of the language
uttered in this article by and about lightweight Ray Beltran, who faces Luis
Ramos on Friday night's edition of “ShoBox” from the Fantasy Springs Casino in
Indio, California, is a bit salty and expletive-filled. This is unusual for the
mild-mannered Beltran but this is also a desperate boxer who understands that
if he wants his career to move forward, he must absolutely come out victorious.
Nonetheless, parental discretion is advised.]
This
is all so familiar for Ray Beltran. Once again, he faces an undefeated Golden
Boy Promotions prospect in the main event on “ShoBox.” Back on May 13th,
he was paired against the 19-0 Sharif Bogere in Primm, Nevada on this series.
“It's
the same situation the way I look at it,” said “Sugar” Beltran, last week after
his day’s work at the Wild Card Boxing Club was finished. “I have to knock this
guy out. If not, I'm going to get robbed again, just the same way.”
Versus
Bogere, Beltran lost a unanimous decision by the scores of 97-93 and 96-94
(twice) in a fight many observers believed he deserved to win. He also had a
knockdown that was missed by referee Robert Byrd. It was a close fight but
Bogere was the “house fighter” on this occasion, which meant that any benefit of
the doubt would go in his direction. The same rules will most likely apply in
this instance.
“The
way I look at it, Ramos just has to make it to the end. He just has to survive.
Once he makes it, he's going to win- they'll give him the fight. So to me, I
gotta knock him out. I'm ready 100 percent and I think about that Sharif Bogere
fight and it motivates me. It makes me angry to get my payback. It's payback
this time,” said the 30-year-old, who was born in the fighting town of Los
Mochis, Mexico. He admits that loss took some time to digest. “It takes time
because when you lose, you get over it but when you get robbed, not only in the
fight, they rob your money- because I bet money on myself- but most important,
they robbed my dreams, my opportunity to make it to the title, to better
fights. But y’ know what? I use that for the next step as a motivation: be
angry, be more motivated to fight harder.”
Just
two months before the Bogere fight, Beltran had captured the vacant USBA title
by halting Carlos Vinan in seven rounds and was building some momentum in a
career that had stalled in previous years. A victory on national TV over “The
Lion” and Beltran would've been on the brink of some really significant fights.
With that loss, he was back to fighting at the Warner Center Marriott in
Woodland Hills (where he battered Darien Ford in two quick innings in September).
Nothing against the place. It's a fine venue but at age 30 and with over a
decade spent in this game, he's looking beyond club shows.
It
will be trainer Freddie Roach's job to keep the whip on Beltran and remind him
of what took place in May. “Definitely. It's not enough in today's marketplace
just to win,” said the respected cornerman. “You have to win impressively. The
best way to win is to win by knockout, get the judges out of the equation.”
That
is precisely what Beltran aims to do.
“I'm going to try to f**k him up, bro,” he said, succinctly. “I'm going to try
to f**k him up and f**k up the f**kin' judges and the referees and the
business. Because it's me against not only Luis Ramos. It's me against Golden
Boy, me against the f**kin' judges- they ain't sh*t. I don't trust nobody, even
the f**kin' referees- I don't trust nobody. It's me against everybody.”
Beltran,
despite going all Mount St. DiBella and erupting in F-bombs, is a nice guy, one
not prone to outbursts like this. But desperate times call for desperate
measures. The Bogere decision left him a cynical and angry man, one that now
fully understands that the nature of this business isn't always just or fair-
especially to blue-collar, no-frills individuals like himself.
“I
mean, I'm a real fighter. I don't depend on bringing a circus with me, be some
kind of an actor or a good-looking guy or somebody’s son or whatever it is. I'm
a real boxer and, lately, boxing is about politics, all bullsh*t. So to me, I
got to go and break through all the bullsh*t and make it happen, knock this guy
out,” he says.
One knock on Beltran is that with his years of sparring the likes of Manny
Pacquiao, he may have developed a bit of the “sparring partners syndrome,”
where he simply doesn't move his hands enough and is content to just go through
rounds, not fully exerting himself fully to win. “I think so, a little bit,”
agreed Roach. “He didn't always put the pedal to the medal when he had to
[against Bogere]. I feel like if he would've picked it up in the fight in Vegas,
he could've put the guy on the deck a couple of times. He's a good puncher. He
has a great left hook, so hopefully, he'll pick up the pace a little bit and be
a little more impressive.”
Of
their young foe, Roach says he’s “a very good fighter but I think he's beatable.
Ray has the experience.” Beltran hasn't seen much of Ramos. “I don't even worry
about him,” he said, dismissively. “I never worry about my opponents. I just
worry about myself here at the gym. I don't have time to worry about my
opponents. I worry about myself and get ready for the fights and be the most
perfect I can at the gym for every situation.”
To
him, Ramos is just “another protected guy like a bunch of f**kin' prospects
that are out there. They are not real stars; they're built stars. [Their
promoters] made them, they're not even real.”
Regardless,
Beltran knows he's running out of time and opportunities to leave his mark.
“I think I got the talent. I still got something to do but it's my last chance,”
he admits. “I gotta do everything to finish good because if not, they will not
let me go and make it.”
TIX
INFO
For
those who want to attend this show, here's the info from the Golden Boy
Promotions press release:
Tickets, priced at $25, $35 and $45, are
on sale now and available for purchase at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by
calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Doors at Fantasy Springs will open at 6:00pm PT on fight night and the first
bell rings at 6:30pm PT.
EMAIL
Hey, Steve, nice article as always. I
always get a kick out of looking up Robinson on boxrec, it really puts things
into perspective when guys like Floyd Mayweather claim to be the best of all
time. At my last glance, I noted that he weighed in at 145 to LaMotta's 160.75
in the rematch; that also puts the whole "catch weight" thing we've
got going on these days into its proper perspective. Also interesting that his
"stay busy" (yeah, right) fight before the LaMotta rematch wasn't an
easy out according to the scorecards; he won a freakin' 10-round majority
decision! What a warrior. Happy New Year,
Wilson
Yeah,
Wilson, you bring up a great point. I don't think people realize just how much
weight Robinson was giving up in a lot of his middleweight title defenses. When
folks ask me who the greatest junior middleweight is, I answer, “Sugar Ray
Robinson” because, essentially, that's what he was for many of those fights.
Forget
the fact that many consider Walker Smith Jr. to be the GOAT; what stands out to
me is that this guy was of a different era when boxers had to really be hard,
tough men. I seriously doubt any of these supposed “pound-for-pound” divas
today could survive the yearly gauntlet that guys like Robinson did so
routinely.
SUGAR
BOWL FLURRIES
Showtime
is having a free preview weekend, so those who don't subscribe can view this
week’s edition of “ShoBox”...Welterweight Ronald Cruz faces Allen Conyers on
Feb. 25th at the Grand Ballroom at Bally's Atlantic City...“Snooki”
can't be any worse for boxing than most of these TV packagers...If I ever see
Holly Rowe coming in my direction, I will get the hell outta the way: http://www.newsoxy.com/sports/holly-rowe-espn-pushes-reporter-47644.html...Lakers
fans, I know Andrew Bynum is always a health risk but are you sure you want him
dealt alongside Pau Gasol for Dwight Howard?...
