Ramirez earns Olympic boxing berth

Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala.

Jose Ramirez’s story is quite impressive.

The resident of Avenal, Calif. and the son of farm workers, is on the U.S. Olympic boxing team, thanks to a 21-16 win over 2008 Olympian Raynell Williams in a lightweight bout at the team trials on Friday night.

That alone was big, but the win was the icing on the cake for a young man who has won 10 national championships and five consecutive USA boxing national titles. That’s more than Oscar DeLa Hoya, Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley, and Floyd Mayweather.

In addition, he appeared on ESPN six times in one night and hosted Friday Night Fights.

He is also being courted by the top professional boxing promoters, including Top Rank and Golden Boy.

That’s pretty impressive stuff for an 18-year-old who was the valedictorian of his local high school and currently a student at Fresno State University and a part-time employee at a local Starbucks.

“I’m very blessed to get the experience,” said Ramierez. “I thank my family for giving me a good foundation.”