ONTARIO, Calif. – Junior bantamweight John Ramirez wanted to make a statement at the expense of Jan Salvatierra.

Ramirez scored a devastating one-punch knockout win in the opening round, sending the partisan crowd at the Toyota Center in a frenzy. 

The 25-year-old “Scrappy” Ramirez, who resides in Los Angeles, improves to 10-0, 8 KOs.  

Both fighters did little during the first half of the opening round, sizing each other up from distance. 

With less than a minute left in the round, as both fighters separated from a clinch, Ramirez landed a right hand. Ramirez followed up and landed another right hand to the head that dropped Salvatierra. The impact of the punch carried Salvatierra under the ropes and off the canvas, where ringside photographers broke his fall. Salvatierra was pushed back in the ring, where he attempted to beat the count, but was not able to as the referee reached the count of 10 at 2:25. 

“He made a mistake and he had to pay,” said Ramirez in the post-fight interview. “He was not on my level.” 

Ramirez, who defeated Roberto Pucheta in his last bout on March 19, called out WBC junior bantamweight titleholder Jesse Rodriguez. 

“I want to fight the best out there. I don’t care. How can you be the best of you don’t face the best out there.” said Ramirez. 

Salvatierra, who resides in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, drops to 8-2, 4 KOs.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing