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Jeremy Ramos captures LBF title in Durango with controversial split decision

Andrew “The Durango Kid” Flamm took his first professional win
Jeremy Ramos lands a punch on Andrew (Hurricane) Hernandez during the Legends Boxing Federation Super Middleweight World Title Fight on Saturday during Legends on the Animas boxing showdown at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

Boxing is a sport where everything can change with one punch. Or one judge.

Saturday night, Andrew “Hurricane” Hernandez and Jeremy “The Boxer Barber” Ramos faced off at La Plata County Fairgrounds in Durango for the LBF (Legends of Boxing Federation) Super Middleweight (168 pounds) Championship. As the main event of the Legends on the Animas card, hundreds of fans cheered them on as the fighters exchanged blows for 12 rounds.

Hernandez looked to have had the advantage throughout the fight. He used his left hand jab to set up combinations and delivered on quite a few. Hernandez was the aggressor, while Ramos did well to counterpunch at times.

As the final bell rang out at the end of the 12th round, some fans and Hernandez’s corner expected “Hurricane” to be the new LBF Super Middleweight Champion. But in boxing, all it takes is one judge to throw a fighter’s hopes and celebration plans out the window.

Ramos was announced as the winner by split decision, 116-112, 112-116 and 115-113, to the shock of Hernandez’s corner.

The result moved Hernandez to 21-9-2 for his career. His last fight was against Ramos in 2021 and he won by majority decision.

“Any blind fool could see I easily won that fight,” Hernandez said. “Look at my face, there’s not a scratch on it. Go look at his face. I blackened both of his eyes, he’s got scratches all over. Stevie Wonder would’ve got this one right. I won it, clear as day. However, I give all the glory to God. His victory is my victory. These judges have a difficult job to do. They’ve got the second-hardest job in the world behind fighters. They made their decision and unfortunately, those three individuals were the only individuals who’s decision mattered tonight. It cost me a world title.”

Ramos, after only taking this fight a few weeks ago after Hector Camacho Jr. had to pull out due to injury, improved to 14-15 for his career. This was Ramos’ third fight this year.

“I buckled down, I was a little more ready this fight,” Ramos said. “The last time I fought him, I had a two-week notice. This time I had a little more time to prepare. I knew I had to be sharper. The first time, I was a little too careless so I buckled down and made sure I didn’t make any careless mistakes.”

Both fighters used the first round to feel each other out. Hernandez had some good combinations and Ramos had some good counters.

Ramos had a better early part of the second round. Both fighters engaged in some close combat with Hernandez finishing the second round strong.

Hernandez kept working Ramos with his jab in the third and fourth rounds. In the fifth round, Ramos connected as the fighters exchanged a flurry of blows in a round that could’ve gone to him.

“I knew I could counter and calculate,” Ramos said. “I knew he relied on that right hand a lot. I knew if I could avoid that and connect with some combinations I could catch him.”

As the fight reached the later rounds, Hernandez continued to use his jab well and attacked Ramos more and more with combinations. Ramos fought back with some counters but it looked like Hernandez was controlling things.

Andrew (Hurricane) Hernandez lands a punch on Jeremy Ramos during the Legends Boxing Federation Super Middleweight World Title Fight on Saturday during Legends on the Animas boxing showdown at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

In the 11th round, Hernandez engaged and landed some good shots before Ramos countered with a right to the head. Then, it looked like Hernandez had knocked Ramos down but the ref called it a slip.

“That was absolutely despicable,” Hernandez said. “I hit him with a clean right hook and he fell. There was no push, no trip, no nothing. He fell right after that right hook and he was hurt. Not only did they rule it a slip but the ref bought him a lot of time.”

Both fighters traded blows in the 12th round and slugged it out in the last 30 seconds before the fight ended.

Hernandez and Ramos complimented Durango and the crowd after the fight. Ramos said Durango has great people and he believed he gets good luck out here. Hernandez appreciated the fans, the town and how people treated him. He said he’s not interested in a third fight with Ramos but would like to come back to Durango.

Before the main event, local fighter Andrew “The Durango Kid” Flamm made his professional debut against Milton Roque from Durango, Mexico, in a four-round fight.

Fans were quickly on their feet as Flamm made his entrance into the ring. He had Katy Kopec, the owner of The Good Fight Boxing Gym and promoter of this Legends on the Animas event, in his corner. Flamm has trained with Kopec for the last three years at The Good Fight Boxing Gym in Durango.

Flamm and Roque put on what was arguably the most entertaining fight of the evening at welterweight (147 pounds). Both fighters had great speed, power and stamina. Therefore, punches were thrown constantly and many connected for devastating shots for both.

Fans were on their feet at the end of the fight as Flamm won by majority decision.

Andrew Flamm wins his bout against Milton Roque in the their fight of Legends on the Animas boxing showdown at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

“It feels so amazing to have all the support from the Durango crowd here,” Flamm said. “People were really up on their feet cheering for me. It was a great fight, that dude liked to bang and hit hard. I like to hit hard so I’d like to work with him again sometime.”

Both fighters came out throwing with Flamm landing some nice jabs, straight rights and some good left hooks to hurt Roque in the first round.

Flamm put together some great combinations to start the second round. He looked like he had more energy. Then Roque hit Flamm with a hard right to the head which hurt Flamm badly, made him wobbly and primed to get knocked out. But Flamm held on until the bell.

“Sometimes you need to get hit hard to wake up a little bit,” Flamm said. “He caught me with a nice overhand right and that’s something I expected him to throw. When he caught me, I had to shake it off and I knew I wouldn’t get caught again. He had me stumbling a bit there but I never felt like I was out of it.”

Andrew Flamm, right, trades punches with Milton Roque in the third fight of Legends on the Animas boxing showdown on Saturday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

Somehow, Flamm regained his composure and went on the attack to start the third. He had some good jabs and straight rights but left himself open to a few counterpunches. Flamm got Roque trapped in the corner and hit some good straight rights to the head to end the third round.

Flamm is looking forward to going to fight camps and seeing how far he can take his professional boxing career.

The co-main event was between Aaron Pryor Jr. and Brandon Baue at light heavyweight (175 pounds) for six rounds. Pryor Jr. kept Baue away with his height and reach advantage and won by unanimous decision.

Baue had moments like in the second round where he had a few good combinations and ducked underneath Pryor Jr.’s jab. But Pryor Jr.’s experience showed and he trapped Baue on the ropes many times and landed some combinations.

In the sixth round, Baue went for it, knowing he was down in the fight. He left himself exposed for Pryor Jr. to counterpunch. Pryor Jr. got Baue on the ropes and had some nice shots to the head before the final bell sounded.

The quickest fight of the night was between Caleb Esch, the son of heavyweight icon Butterbean, and Christian Rodriguez at heavyweight.

Rodriguez weighed in at about 490 pounds while Esch was about 210. Rodriguez couldn’t move or throw. Esch pounded Rodriguez with blows to the body and head in the first round.

Caleb Esch lands a punch on Christian Rodriguez in the second fight of Legends on the Animas boxing showdown at the La Plata County Fairgrounds on Saturday. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

In the second round, Esch got Rodriguez in a corner and knocked him down. Rodriguez got up, but Esch quickly knocked him down again and won by TKO (Technical Knock Out).

Esch was supported by his father Butterbean, who was in his corner for his fight. Butterbean also received an award from Muhammad Ali’s former wife Khalilah Camacho-Ali.

bkelly@durangoherald.com