Boxing
Tahmir Smalls vs. Abel Ramos: Where Jaron 'Boots' Ennis' stablemate has the edge
Navarrete vs Nunez - Subscribe to watch - Saturday
The proud city of Philadelphia has a fighter on the rise in Tahmir Smalls.
The undefeated welterweight and stablemate of Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will face his sternest challenge yet Saturday night when he fights veteran Abel Ramos at Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, and live on DAZN.
The bout will serve as chief support to the super featherweight title unification bout between Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez.
Smalls (16-0, 11 KOs) fought four times in 2025 as he produced three knockout victories followed by an October unanimous decision over Jose Roman. Meanwhile, Ramos (28-6-3, 22 KOs) did not make a ring appearance last year. The former welterweight title challenger is coming off a hard-fought draw against Mario Barrios in November 2024.
Will Smalls ace his test against a battle-tested veteran? Or will Ramos show the necessary savvy to hand Smalls his first pro loss? DAZN News examines who has the edge entering this welterweight tilt.
Boxing Styles
Tahmir Smalls works behind a high, tight guard as he stalks opponents and uses a jab in order to force phone booth action. Once within range, the Philly fighter has a penchant for loading up on his hooks and sitting on them efficiently toward maximum impact.
In doing this, he can get erratic at times as Jose Roman was able to split Smalls’ guard as the latter overextended on his attempts. Perhaps this could be an opening for Abel Ramos to counter. Ramos is measured in his approach as he works behind a range-finding jab and takes educated chances on the inside.
Smalls’ volume and pressure could present tough obstacles for Ramos in this clash of styles.
Edge: Smalls
Power
Of Ramos’ six losses, only Regis Prograis was able to stop the gritty veteran.
Smalls, of course, will try to become the second to stop Ramos and has the power to do so.
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ stablemate especially packs potency with his right hook, detonating the shot toward fireworks as Roman found out courtesy of the weapon blasting across his jaw for a knockdown.
Ramos is hard-nosed with power to his punch as well, but Smalls has the upside here with the way he pieces his power shots together.
Edge: Smalls
Mental Warfare
Smalls is bubbling with confidence built upon running through every opponent who has shared a ring with him.
That said, he simply lacks the experience that Ramos has.
Ramos has fought against the likes of Mario Barrios, Yordenis Ugas, Omar Figueroa Jr., Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis to name a few.
Although Ramos might need to overcome some ring rust, perhaps his veteran savvy will help him in this fight, especially if it heads into deep waters.
Edge: Ramos
Who has the edge in Smalls vs. Ramos?
Things are looking up for Smalls who kept himself busy last year, using bustling activity to boost his stock.
A win over Ramos would only improve his positioning at welterweight and DAZN News believes he has the skills to notch it, giving him the 2-1 edge entering this weekend’s bout.
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