It took Subriel Matias exactly two rounds to remind the world why he is a destructive force in the junior welterweight division.
Matias, who lost his title to Liam Paro when he previously appeared at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, fought on Saturday night like a man who had something to prove – and Roberto Ramirez was the unfortunate recipient, as Matias stopped him in two rounds.
After a few early punches from Ramirez woke him up in the first round, Matias got down to business in the second, unloading a wave of heavy shots that left Ramirez with one option: a knee on the canvas and a long look at the referee’s 10-count. It wasn’t the hardest left hook to the body Matias ever threw, but it didn’t have to be. It got the job done.
In the co-feature, Puerto Rican bantamweight Jayvier Cintron, 29, won a unanimous decision over Rashib Martinez, of Mexico, with scores of 99-89, 100-88 and 99-90. The win marked Cintron’s second victory at bantamweight since a 2019 loss to Kazuto Ioka at junior bantamweight, bringing his record to 13-1 (6 KOs). Martinez, 27, fell to 23-4-1 (11 KOs).
Meanwhile, junior welterweight Alfredo Santiago continued his comeback. The 30-year-old Dominican fighter, who now resides in Puerto Rico, knocked out Mexico’s 32-year-old Pedro Campa in the first round, extending his win streak to three, including notable victories over Karl Dargan and Angel Fierro ,in his past three fights. Santiago now boasts a record of 16-2 (7 KOs), while Campa’s record stands at 36-4-1 (24 KOs).
Junior featherweight Abimael Ortiz defeated Kevin Gonzalez by unanimous decision, with all three scorecards reading 96-94. Gonzalez, once touted as a promising prospect, has now lost two of his past three bouts. Ortiz improved to 11-1-1 (5 KOs), while Gonzalez’s record slipped to 27-2-1 (14 KOs).
In the opening bout, 28-year-old Puerto Rican super middleweight Luis Rodriguez stopped Mexico’s 35-year-old Marcos Rodriguez in the fifth round. Luis Rodriguez’s record now stands at 14-0 (12 KOs), while Marcos Rodriguez falls to 20-2-1 (10 KOs).
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.