Ramos finds his motivation at home

Lightweight prospect Luis Ramos is driven to succeed in large part to help his struggling parents.

Lightweight prospect Luis Ramos (right) wants to succeed in boxing in part to help his family.


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FIGHT NIGHT CLUB: THE FACTS

What: Fight Night Club, a monthly boxing series featuring rising prospects at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles
Who: The featured young fighters hail from Southern California and beyond and all of them have the potential to be successful.
When: The premiere show is this Thursday, June 11.
TV/Internet: The card will be televised on Versus and streamed live on RingTV.com and yahoo.com/sports. The first fight begins at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET.
Future shows: July 30, Aug. 27 and Sept. 24 at Club Nokia, which is adjacent to Staples Center.

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Luis Ramos Jr. worries about his parents, Luis Sr. and Araminta.

Luis Sr. gets up at 4 o'clock in the morning every day to go to work at a clothing store and then, when his shift if over, he cleans cars at a rental car company. Sometimes Luis Jr. doesn’t see his dad at all until the weekend.

Araminta also worked two jobs until she suffered a stroke recently. Now, she must stay home as she tries to recover.

The result is that the Ramoses are facing foreclosure on their home in Santa Ana because they can’t make the payments, which Luis Jr., only 21, says isn’t the end of the world. The family has rented before.

Still, it’s not difficult to see where the unbeaten lightweight prospect finds his motivation. He dreams often of one day of becoming a world champion and buying his parents a home -- with cash.

“The people close to me know a lot about my life,” said Luis Jr., who faces Baudel Cardenas on the debut card of “Fight Night Club” this Thursday at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. “When they ask me about my parents, I want to cry. They’ve done so much for me and my brothers and sister.

“The thing that kills me is my dad getting up at 4, 4:30 every morning, driving to Mission Viejo, working all day and then going to his other job. It hurts. I just take it out on my opponents. That’s how I release the pain.”

Luis and Araminta Ramos certainly did something right. A five-minute conversation with their son leads one to an obvious conclusion: great kid.

Ramos (10-0, 5 knockouts) is very soft spoken and respectful. He believes strongly that he has the potential to win a major world title one day – as do some others – but he’s not a self promoter by nature.

He’s as clean cut as any fighter you’ll ever run into. No bling, not a single tattoo. “They don't look right to me,” he said, not judging anyone else. He also has the kind of good looks that attract the opposite sex.

This Ramoses did a good job.

“I think he’s a very marketable kid,” said his manager, Frank Espinoza. “He has good looks, dresses well, no tattoos. I think the girls will like him. He’ll be a good TV attraction. He’s just a nice, humble kid, a gentleman outside the ring.

“In the ring, though, it’s different. He’s a beast. He does what he has to do in there. That’s what all good fighters have to do.”

The 5-foot-8 southpaw had an impressive amateur career. He compiled a record of 120-16, he said, and fell just short of making the 2008 U.S. Olympic team under longtime trainer Hector Lopez.

Thus, he has good fundamental skills and valuable experience in big amateur fights. He shows up on time and works hard at the same gym at which he started boxing at 7, TKO Boxing Club. And, as Espinoza pointed out, he also has fighting spirit.

As a pro, he has had no trouble whatsoever with his 10 opponents.

All the elements seem to be in place for a successful career.

“I think Luis has become my best prospect,” said Espinoza, who works with many young fighters.

True to form, though, Ramos acknowledges that he’s “still a baby in this sport.” He knows there is a lot of work ahead. However, he continues to dream – of fighting in front of huge crowds, winning championships and, of course, helping mom and dad.

“I tell them, ‘Right now isn’t the best time for us,’” Ramos said. “Later on, though, hopefully things will change. I tell them, ‘Don’t worry about the mortgage. One day, I’ll pay it off.’ One day, they’ll have everything.”


Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVedtior@yahoo.com