London 2012 Olympics: Jose Ramirez vs Rachid Azzedine

by Gautham Nagesh

American lightweight Jose Ramirez eked out a narrow win over Rachid Azzedine of France in the first round of the London Olympic boxing tournament.

Ramirez came into the games with considerable pedigree, having won the U.S. national title three times. But Azzedine seemed unimpressed and stood toe-to-toe with the 19-year-old American as the two engaged in heavy exchanges. Ramirez said afterward that he came into the fight tense, which he blamed for his slow start. He won each of the first two rounds by a point, dropping the third by the same margin for a final score of 21-20.[[MORE]]

The fighters spent most of the first round spent boxing on the outside. Ramirez is a conventional fighter that throws a lot of long one-two combinations from distance. He is also the rare amateur boxer with a great body attack; Jose consistently unloaded some some impressive hooks to the Frenchman’s torso. Both fighters were long and lean at lightweight, with Azzedine mainly looking to step back and land the overhand right. He managed to frustrate Ramirez until the end of the first round, when Ramirez trapped the Frenchman in the corner and unloaded a strong barrage of punches.

Ramirez stayed closer to his foe in round two and landed more head shots, but Azzedine was game and fought back with spirit. Ramirez continued to make hay to the body, but also periodically bullied Azzedine into the ropes to unload. Ramirez used his clear advantage in physical strength to control the second, though he only edged it by a single point. The type of body shots he favors are great for weakening legs, but are often missed by amateur judges.

This start of the third round saw both men stand tall and trade haymakers, throwing combinations and defending simultaneously. Ramirez began landing his right hand, but also ate a few from Azzedine. The action began to flag as the fighters tired, with Ramirez perhaps enjoying the dividends of his early body work. The final score came with some suspense attached, but Ramirez was justly declared the victor.

Of the three Americans that have fought so far (the others are Jose Diaz Jr. and Terrell Gausha), Ramirez was the least impressive. That could be problematic, since he fights in the same division as Vasyl Lomachenko of the Ukraine, widely considered the best amateur boxer in the world. Fortunately for Ramirez, he’s in the opposite side of the draw from Lomachenko. But if he wants to reach the medal round, he will have to relax and improve his performance considerably in the next two bouts.