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Steve KimESPN
In what ended up being an entertaining battle, Gilberto Ramirez barely retained his WBO super middleweight title, edging Jesse Hart in a 12-round majority decision Friday night at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Two judges scored the bout 115-113 for Ramirez, and the third scored it 114-114.
Ramirez (39-0, 25 KOs) needed a big 12th-round rally to keep his title. Hart (25-1, 21 KOs) had seized momentum of the fight in the middle rounds and seemingly had all the momentum going into the last round. Ramirez also said afterward that he was hampered by a left elbow injury he suffered in the eighth round.
In a thrilling 12th, Ramirez was hurt late but also was able to do damage to Hart several times with this right hand to win the round and retain his belt.
Hart, as expected, expressed disappointment in the result.
“Those scores,” Hart said. “Come on.”
Ramirez said afterward he intends to move up to light heavyweight if no big fights emerge for him at super middleweight.