By Norm Frauenheim
LAS VEGAS — They sat next to each other like neighbors at one end of the table, linked by geography and the promise that comes with youth. Elijah Garcia and Jesus Ramos are from Arizona, which these days has become a place known for young fighters.
Aggressive fighters.
Ambitious, too.
“I’m here to get better,’’ said Garcia, a 21-year-old middleweight who shares a prominent spot alongside Ramos Saturday on a Prime Video card featuring junior-middleweight champ Sebastian Fundora against Chordale Booker at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Arena.
Getting better sometimes means starting anew. That’s where Garcia (16-1, 13 KOs) finds himself in a fight to reset the table — re-assert his evident potential — against former Olympian Terrell Gausha (24-4-1, 12 KOs) in Garcia’s first fight since a his lone loss eight months ago to Kyrone Davis.
There are always questions about how a fighter reacts to his first defeat. It’s a portal, a test, that few fighters avoid. Unbeaten is unlikely. But dealing with defeat, confronting and overcoming the adversity, is often a true measure of a fighter’s future. Ramos, seated next to Garcia at the AZ end of the table Thursday during a news conference, already understands that.
Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs), who faces Mexican Guido Emmanuel Schramm (16-3-2, 9 KOs) in a junior-middleweight bout Saturday, has already passed through the portal, scoring successive stoppages over Johan Gonzalez and Jeison Rosario after his lone loss to Erickson Lubin in September 2023.
“The loss was a blessing in way,’’ said Ramos, a 24-year-old from Casa Grande. “Losing led to a lot of work at getting better all of the time.’’
Ramos talks about the loss as though it is part of the lesson plan for a young fighter. Perhaps, it is. Garcia, who grew up in Phoenix and has a ranch in Wittman, is about to find out. The plan is eight-months long. He left his family and his ranch, moved to Las Vegas and began to work under the guidance of veteran trainer Bob Santos.
Garcia’s life has changed. His corner has changed. His father, George Gracia, had trained him. HIs dad will still be there Saturday, but as the cut man, Elijah said.
“My dad was great,’’ Elijah said. “He got me here. Bob Santos has been there. He is all about winning. Winning, winning, winning.’’
Over the eight months, Garcia said he has developed a strong relationship with Santos, who once trained beloved two-time champion Robert Guerrero.
“For eight straight months, my life has been all about boxing, only boxing,’’ said Elijah, who wore an Arizona Diamondback’s cap and a Wittman T-shirt. “There have been no kids, no ranch. Just boxing. Like I said, I’m here to get better.’’
In Gausha, Elijah Garcia faces a fighter who is 16 years older than him. At 37, Gausha, a US Olympian at the 2012 London Games, has fought for a major title twice, losing both times. Carlos Adames scored a unanimous decision over him last June for a 160-pound belt. He lost a decision to Erislandy Lara for a 154-pound belt in 2017.
“I respect him,’’ Garcia said. “He’s a good fighter. I could have said no. But I need to fight a good fighter to get better. I’ve got to get better to be a world champion, and that’s always been my dream.
“I had a loss. But that loss is behind me. I can’t do much about it right now. I just have to move on.’’
Start anew.