He was welcomed by Bozy Ennis to his “Dungeon” with the hardest sparring imaginable, several rounds with the trainer’s youngest son, Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Smalls, convinced that was where he’d reach his potential, never left.

Twelve years later, Smalls believes working alongside Ennis has properly prepared the welterweight prospect for his most significant challenge as a professional – a 10-round fight against Abel Ramos on Saturday night. DAZN will stream Smalls-Ramos on its undercard before Mexican junior lightweight champions Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez meet in a 12-round title unification fight at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona (8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT).

Ramos (28-6-3, 22 KOs) – a durable, experienced two-time welterweight title challenger – is the most imposing opponent Smalls (16-0, 11 KOs) has signed to face in six years as a pro. There was no need, according to the 26-year-old Smalls, to continue building toward this type of opportunity.

“I mean, how long you gonna wait?,” Smalls told The Ring. “I’m 16-0. They been giving me steps up, so now it’s time to show them I’m ready. … [Beating Ramos is] gonna show the world that I’m ready for the top contenders, the champions and put me right at the top of the list, where I need to be.”

Ramos, 34, fought to a split draw with Mario Barrios in his last appearance – a 12-round fight for Barrios’ WBC welterweight title in November 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Barrios (29-3-2, 18 KOs) and Ramos both scored knockdowns during their compelling clash on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard.

Before Ramos’ draw with Barrios, the Casa Grande, Arizona native fought former champions Regis Prograis, Ivan Baranchyk, Yordenis Ugas, Omar Figueroa and Maurice Hooker during his 14-year pro career.

Only one opponent, Prograis, stopped Ramos inside the distance. Ramos, who was 15-0 at that time, declined to continue after the eighth round of their December 2015 bout in Houston.

“The plan is just to go in there and do what a lot of the other guys couldn’t do,” Smalls said. “Mario Barrios was the champ – he went in there and got a draw. He fought Ugas and Ugas didn’t get him outta there. So, the game plan is to go in there, be smart and if we see a mistake, just capitalize on it. But the goal is to do what the other guys couldn’t do.”

Consistently sparring with Ennis and absorbing everything he has learned from the former Ring, IBF and WBA welterweight champion’s circuitous journey toward stardom made Smalls confident he is beyond ready to make the transformation from prospect to contender in an evolving welterweight division.

“He more so goes in there to get the knockout,” Smalls said of Ramos, his second opponent since Smalls signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. “He’s not really too much of a slick fighter. His main thing is pressure and me being a younger fighter or whatever you wanna call it, he may think the pressure might do something. But I been in there with the best guys since my amateur days. I’ve sparred with the best in the pros and he doesn’t bring nothing that I haven’t seen before. He’s a top guy, a top opponent, but it’s not nothing I never been in there with.”