BOXING: CELSO “EL NINO” RAMIREZ HITS THE ARMORY TONIGHT

El Niño: A complex series of climatic changes.

According to Ramirez’ coach Adonis Frazier, the story goes like this: “He was 6 when he started coming to the gym. We gave him a pair of gloves and I wrote El Niño on them for him (also meaning the boy or the kid). Fast forward 13 years and it was time for his pro name. El Niño was given to him because of the storm system.”

Outside of the ring, the undefeated 21-year-old Ramirez is the “calm before the storm”. He’s a humble and positive newly crowned father of a baby girl. It’s those contrasts of in and out of the ring persona’s that fittingly fused the nickname to Ramirez.

Ramirez has blown through every opponent put in front of him so far as a pro. He’s blacked out most of his 7 opponents before they knew what had hit them. Now, he’s prepared to step up to face his toughest opponent as a professional tonight at the Armory in Minneapolis.

“They came to me with the name Willie Jones and asked if I’d fight him up here and I said of course. He’s 5-1 and I’m ready to step up. I thought the last fight was going to be a step up but it didn’t go as planned and I was able to get him out of there pretty quick. So they stepped it up a little more for this one. I’ve seen a couple videos of him and he was on the undercard of Jamal James a few years ago. It should be a good fight.”

Like many young boxers, Ramirez had dreams of becoming an Olympian. He first walked through the Circle of Discipline’s doors in Minneapolis at the age of 6 and says he began boxing at 8. Ramirez was born in Mexico and was not yet a US citizen as an amateur boxer so he could not compete in higher level tournaments that could have propelled him to that level. So he decided to turn pro at the age of 18.

Last April at the Armory, Ramirez was met with huge support by fans as he calmly made his way to the ring wearing a smile to face Missouri’s Brandon Baue. It was supposed to be a test for Ramirez but ended with his arm raised in under two minutes.

“I was excited and couldn’t wait to get out there and show my level of boxing”, said Ramirez. “Going in, I thought it was going to be a tough fight. I was trying to box and study him. I hurt him with a couple of shots so jumped right on him. It’s never my plan to finish my opponents fast but if the moment is there, I have to seize it. I always notice my fans during a fight and appreciate them. I feel so blessed to have that much support here locally. They motivate me to fight the way I fight.”

Ramirez is fortunate enough to have had some of the best sparring partners available to prepare for any style he could meet in the ring. Like his past training camps, he’s gotten in countless rounds with teammates Jamal James and VeShawn Owens.

“I’ve been training hard and have been in camp for a while now. It’s been a long and good camp. I’m usually at home, but for this one, I’ve been living with my coach Sankara Frazier and older brother Jamal James. The only thing on my mind is beating Willie Jones. After that, I want to follow in the footsteps of my older brother Jamal and see where the future takes us. I’m just going to go out there and do what I do best. Take my time, box him, listen to my corner, and see how things go. Fans can expect from El Niño a great boxing match and a whole different monster. I’ve been so focussed and ready.”

FS1 will be telvising a large portion of the show beginning at 5:30 PM. There is a good chance Ramirez’ fight against Willie Jones will be televised. We will also be streaming his fight and all of the Minnesota fighters live on our Facebook Page Here.