The more experienced Ramos got off to a slow start but relied on a controlled pace that featured a bludgeoning body attack and calculated shots over the top to hand Smalls his first loss.

Judges scored the 10-round welterweight fight 98-92 and 97-93 for Ramos, while another had it 96-94 for Smalls. Ramos landed 127 shots, while Smalls connected with 113 punches, according to CompuBox.

Coming into the fight, Ramos said his tremendous experience advantage would play a significant role and show in the second half, and his words proved true.

“It played out exactly how we expected. We had this gameplan from the beginning, and we knew that it was going to work for us,” said Ramos. “I started moving my head more and got inside and was patient, hitting him to the stomach. It was all me in the second half. He was very strong at first and I could feel his power, but later on I didn't feel anything because of my body shots.”

Ramos (29-6-3, 22 KOs) and Smalls (16-1, 11 KOs) stumbled out of the blocks with somewhat of a slow start, and by the fourth round the disinterested crowd at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, was jeering and focused on doing the wave instead of watching the fight.

But the fighters were not distracted by the uneasy audience, and the action started heating up in the fifth. Ramos started stunning Smalls with consequential shots to the head in the sixth. Ramos continued picking up steam and shifted momentum in the seventh with a dedicated attack to the body.

Smalls appeared fatigued in the eighth and sloppily countered as Ramos continued rocking him, and his relentless pressure carried into the final bell.

Ramos landed a total of 52 body shots. Damage was evident whenever he landed on the shrinking Smalls in the final three rounds.

Ramos, a 34-year-old from Casa Grande, Arizona, was fighting for the first time since trading knockdowns and slugging it to a split draw against then WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in November 2024. Ramos is 3-3-1 in his last seven fights.

“I'm hoping this win will give me another title shot,” said Ramos. “Next time, I won't let it go to a decision. I want Ryan Garcia or Rolando Romero, or any of the top champions.”

Smalls, a 29-year-old from Philadelphia trained by Bozy Ennis, came into the clash with tremendous momentum following four wins in 2025 but couldn't leverage his length to outbox and keep the well-seasoned Ramos off him.

The fight was featured on the undercard of the junior lightweight title unification bout between Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo Nunez to headline a Matchroom Boxing show on DAZN.

Jordan Martinez and Arturo Cardenas came in as unbeaten and mostly unknown junior featherweights, but they surely made a name for themselves by trading big shots throughout their highly competitive, back-and-forth firefight.

But the result was inconclusive.

After 10 rounds of incredible action, judges scored the contest 98-92 for Martinez, 96-94 for Cardenas and 95- 95, which resulted in a split draw.

CompuBox's unofficial punch stats demonstrated the razor-thin nature of the clash. Cardenas was credited with landing 169 of 563 punches, and Martinez was credited with landing 187 of 573.

Mexico’s Cardenas (17-0-2, 9 KOs), who is trained by Robert Garcia, came in with the better resume, but Phoenix’s Martinez (16-0-1, 15 KOs) rose to the occasion in front of a hometown crowd to make a name for himself after crushing second-rate competition in the Arizona and Mexican boxing circuit.

“I think I did enough to win, but I know better not to leave it to the judges,” said Martinez. “I know next time I will be better and stronger and more prepared.”

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn said after the fight that a rematch should be in store to settle the score.

“I never underestimate my opponents. I know he was a strong fighter,” said Cardenas. “He came in with a lot of hunger to win, but I was prepared to be intelligent. I know he’s a strong fighter, but I was blocking a majority of his shots.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan