The WBA interim light heavyweight titleholder was pushed hard by the slick southpaw Richards in a tactical contest that featured frequent clinches and several other closely contested rounds.
Ramirez began well, landing a number of the cleaner punches within the opening rounds, while Richards found success with sharp counters because the fight progressed. The center rounds were difficult to attain, with neither man able to determine sustained control.
Richards enjoyed one in all his strongest moments within the eleventh round and finished the fight well, but Ramirez’s work throughout the competition proved enough to sway two of the three judges.
Within the co-feature, 2021 Olympic bronze medalist Imam Khataev scored a dramatic first-round stoppage over Mickael Diallo. Khataev was dropped midway through the opening round but quickly recovered, returning fire to attain two knockdowns of his own before Diallo’s corner halted the bout at the tip of the round.
Dzmitry Asanau continued his rise within the lightweight division with a sixth-round stoppage of former world champion Roger Gutierrez. After controlling much of the fight, Asanau dropped Gutierrez with a body shot before ending the competition moments later with a right uppercut.
Canadian lightweight prospect Avery Martin-Duval remained unbeaten with a dominant unanimous decision over Jose Macias. Martin-Duval controlled the motion behind accurate combos and robust counterpunching, earning 100-90 scores from all three judges.
Jhon Orobio captured the vacant WBA super lightweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of Jonathan Montrel. Orobio dominated from the opening bell and scored three knockdowns, including two from body shots, before the referee stepped in.
Olympic bronze medalist Wyatt Sanford improved to 7-0 with a second-round stoppage of Juan Pablo Ilharregui. Sanford’s jab set the tone before a sustained attack forced the referee to halt the competition late within the second round.
Also on the cardboard, Kevin Beausejour recorded a first-round knockout of Davorin Brajkovic, while Nickenson Denis picked up his first skilled victory with a second-round stoppage of Lukasz Kucharski.