Jeffries uses patience and veteran savvy to defeat Ramirez;
Ali’i Warrior of the South Bay earns NABF super bantamweight belt
with unanimous decision
It was her game plan all along. Be patient. Stay focused. Fight your fight.
Kelsey Jeffries knew what she wanted to accomplish Saturday when she took the ring against the bigger Lina Ramirez at Yakama Nation Legends Casino in Toppenish, Wash. But if she had any doubt that she would adhere to her strategy, a pre-fight directive from trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick ensured the Hollister-based boxer would follow through.
“You go out there and go to war with her when I don’t tell you to … you come back to the corner after that,” Fitzpatrick threatened in the dressing room, “and there ain’t gonna be no stool.”
Fitzpatrick needn’t have worried. Composed and locked in from the start, Jeffries kept Ramirez at bay throughout, prevailing by unanimous decision to win the inaugural NABF (North American Boxing Federation) women’s super bantamweight title.
“It feels good,” said Jeffries after the judges carded 98-92, 98-92, 97-93 in her favor. “It feels nice. It’s always nice to win a new belt.”
After a split draw with Melissa Hernandez on June 15, the Ali’i Warrior of the South Bay was eager to get back on the winning train – and to do it her way.
“I wanted to be smart and box. I was very, very patient,” Jeffries recounted. “No matter what (Ramirez) had, no matter what she got, I was going to do what I wanted to do. Move, use my jab … I’m going to keep moving ’til I want to fight.”
Once Ramirez, 27, exceeded the 122-pound weight limit by two pounds in Friday’s weigh-in, Jeffries (34-9-1) had an unimpeded shot at the NABF title – Ramirez could win the fight, but not the belt. Even so, Jeffries had every expectation that her opponent would come out raring to fight.
“She was a rough customer,” the Road Warrior said of Ramirez, “another one who came to fight. She wanted to win the fight whether she got the belt or not.”
Bruce Anderson, Jeffries’ manager, knew his client was in for a long night when he got a look at Ramirez just before the opening bell.
“My god, when I saw her climb in the ring, I couldn’t believe it,” said Anderson, who estimated Ramirez outweighed Jeffries by 10 pounds. “Everyone said, ‘Look at the size of her!'”
And Ramirez (10-9) didn’t tire out, either. A free-swinger with a long reach and a heavy hand that had the potential to floor her opponent with one swing, Ramirez went after Jeffries, often swinging wildly and missing.
After prevailing in the 10-round bout, Jeffries said the difference was that she only stepped in when the fight dictated aggressive moves, a strategy she wasn’t as likely to utilize in the past.
“The Kelsey before would run in there and go to war, but that isn’t always the smartest fight,” the Ali’i Warrior of the South Bay said.
Anderson was equally pleased that Jeffries has learned the distinction between “when to fight and when to box.”
“Generally, she’ll get popped and stand right in there and get in her face,” Anderson recalled of previous Jeffries’ fights, “and that’s not always smart. … She would win by attrition, by conditioning, and that’s no way to win a fight. Your career gets short with that. You only have so many wars in you.”
Back home in Hollister on Monday, Jeffries, 30, was emphatic when asked what the next couple of days had in store for her.
“Oh god. Rest,” Jeffries said. “I’m so tired, sore.”
After retaining the IFBA (International Female Boxers Association) featherweight title against Hernandez and then following up by securing the first-ever NABF super bantamweight belt not even a month later, Jeffries was looking forward to a bit of down time.
“It’s nice not to have a date looking me in the face right now,” said the Road Warrior, who guessed she might return to the ring in September. “Definitely, I’ve got a couple of weeks off … which means about a week for me because then I’ll start training again.”
After a whirlwind month, Anderson said a vacation for Jeffries is well-deserved.
“Two title fights at two different weights in two different states in 30 days?!” Anderson exclaimed. “It’s amazing.”
