Undefeated contenders Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. and Elijah Garcia both got a taste of the limelight and a chance to show off their fastballs on Friday night as the southpaws threw out the ceremonial first pitch together at Chase Field before they throw down on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo SHOWTIME PPV undercard (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) Saturday, September 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo Promotions will present the Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view. Alvarez defends his super middleweight undisputed championship against undisputed junior middleweight champion Charlo in the first-ever matchup of reigning, male four-belt champions. (photos by Caitlin O’Hara)
Ramos will face dangerous contender Erickson “Hammer” Lubin in the super welterweight co-main event on September 30, while Garcia faces hard-hitting Armando Reséndiz in a 10-round middleweight attraction to open the pay-per-view. On Friday, Ramos and Garcia displayed their pitching skills from the mound before the Arizona Diamondbacks hosted the Chicago Cubs. The two Arizonians kicked off Hispanic Heritage Weekend at the ballpark with a day full of activities that promoted their respective upcoming fights, as well as their Hispanic heritage and Mexican American roots on the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day.
Ramos and Garcia met with some of the Diamondback players and had a jersey/glove exchange before the first pitch with D-backs skipper and 2017 National League Manager of the Year Torey Lovullo. They both also interacted with Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas, who represented Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and D-backs legend Luis Gonzalez.
Earlier in the day, Ramos visited the CBS affiliate in Phoenix for a sit-down interview with sports anchor Mark McClune to preview his matchup with Lubin.
