Jesus Ramos Jr puts his WBC Interim Middleweight title on the line for the first time when he meets unbeaten mandatory challenger Meiirim Nursultanov on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The fight is the co-main event on the Premier Boxing Champions card headlined by Isaac Cruz vs Nestor Bravo, live on DAZN in both the US and the UK.
Ramos is 24-1 with 18 stoppage wins and stopped three straight opponents before outpointing Shane Mosley Jr in his December title win. Nursultanov is 20-0 across a nine-year career, but he hasn’t thrown a punch in professional competition since November 2023 — nearly three years of inactivity heading into the biggest fight of his life.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, September 19, 2026 |
| Venue | Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California |
| Title | WBC Interim World Middleweight Championship |
| Rounds | 12 |
| Broadcast | DAZN (US & UK) |
| Card | Co-main event — Cruz vs Bravo card |
| US time | 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT |
| UK time | 1:00am BST (Sunday Sept 20) |
Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr (24-1-0, 18 KOs) is 24 years old and fights out of Casa Grande, Arizona. At 5’10” (178cm) with a 72-inch reach, he’s a compact southpaw who fights at a high tempo. He turned professional in 2018 and moved from super welterweight to middleweight in 2023.
Ramos has faced real tests. Erickson Lubin handed him a one-sided unanimous decision loss on the Canelo vs Charlo card in September 2023 — he was schooled 117-111 on the widest card. His response was emphatic: he knocked out or stopped his next three opponents before outpointing Shane Mosley Jr in a 12-round WBC Interim title fight last December. Boxing Data records his KO rate at 78%, and his CompuBox punch output in that title win — landing at 44–49% accuracy across multiple mid-rounds — shows a fighter whose volume and accuracy have risen together since the Lubin defeat.
Meiirim Nursultanov (20-0-0, 11 KOs) is 33 years old and was born in Ayagoz, Kazakhstan, though he is based in Oxnard, California. He stands 6’0” (183cm) — two inches taller than Ramos — with a corresponding reach advantage, and fights out of the orthodox stance.
Nursultanov is the WBC’s number-one ranked middleweight contender and was previously WBO International Middleweight champion, a title he won against Andrey Sirotkin and defended three times between February 2022 and November 2023. The inactivity is the central question mark. His last outing was a 12-round unanimous decision over Julio Alamos in Tashkent in November 2023. Before that, he went 4-0 with three stoppages in a 21-month stretch. Carlos Adames, the WBC world champion at 160 lbs, is the man the winner has the clearest path toward.
| Jesus Ramos Jr | Meiirim Nursultanov | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 24-1-0 | 20-0-0 |
| KOs | 18 (78%) | 11 (55%) |
| Age | 24 | 33 |
| Nationality | USA | Kazakhstan |
| Height | 5’10” (178cm) | 6’0” (183cm) |
| Reach | 72” (183cm) | 74” (188cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Debut | 2018 | 2016 |
| Total bouts | 24 | 20 |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 6, 2025 | Shane Mosley Jr | Win | UD | 12 |
| Mar 22, 2025 | Guido Schramm | Win | TKO | 7 |
| Feb 1, 2025 | Jeison Rosario | Win | TKO | 8 |
| May 4, 2024 | Johan Gonzalez | Win | TKO | 9 |
| Sep 30, 2023 | Erickson Lubin | Loss | UD | 12 |
Four wins after the Lubin loss, three inside the distance. That’s not a coincidence — in the Schramm fight, Boxing Data records Ramos reaching 54.1% power-punch accuracy in round three before maintaining output through the later rounds to force the seventh-round stoppage.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2023 | Julio Alamos | Win | UD | 12 |
| Apr 15, 2023 | Kazuto Takesako | Win | TKO | 8 |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Marcelo Coceres | Win | UD | 12 |
| Jun 11, 2022 | Sebastian Papeschi | Win | TKO | 5 |
| Feb 5, 2022 | Andrey Sirotkin | Win | RTD | 5 |
Nursultanov’s 2022–2023 stretch was genuinely impressive — wins over a mix of durable middleweights, including two stoppages and a unanimous decision over the experienced Coceres. But Alamos in November 2023 was his last bout, and he has not competed since. At 33, and with 20 professional fights totalling roughly 120 rounds in nine years, the ring rust and the age gap are not trivial factors.
Ramos vs Nursultanov is a textbook orthodox vs southpaw puzzle with a significant size differential layered on top. Ramos, the shorter southpaw, uses his left hand as both a jab and a setup tool — his southpaw stance puts his rear left hand on Nursultanov’s open side, a chronic problem for orthodox fighters who don’t adjust. In the Mosley title fight, Ramos landed 281 total punches at around 44% accuracy across 12 rounds, showing sustained output with a high power-punch ratio late in fights.
Nursultanov’s game is built around the height and reach edge. His jab sets the range and his right hand has legitimate pop — the Takesako TKO came off an overhand right to a battered chin in round eight. If he can establish the jab and use his frame to keep Ramos on the outside, he can control enough of the fight to win rounds. The problem is doing all of that against a southpaw after three years away from real competition.
The inactivity is where the analysis becomes uncomfortable for Nursultanov’s backers. Ring sharpness is not a metric that ages gracefully, and at 33 with an eight-year age disadvantage against a younger champion who is hitting harder each year, the margin for error is narrow.
Jesus Ramos Jr must:
Meiirim Nursultanov must:
The market is decisive: at opening prices quoted on Oddschecker (as of early September 2026), Ramos was listed as approximately 1/6 (-590) favourite, with Nursultanov available at around 9/2 (+450). Current odds will have moved — check Oddschecker for live prices. The gap tells the story: this is not an even contest on paper.
Nursultanov is ranked and unbeaten, which counts for something. But unbeaten records built partly on inactivity and soft defences of a secondary WBO belt do not translate automatically to a genuine 50-50 with a PBC-developed, CompuBox-active world titlist who has responded to his only professional loss with three stoppages and a title win.
The smart money is on Ramos to win inside the championship rounds. His power-punch volume has climbed with each fight, and Nursultanov — whatever his physical advantages — is walking into a furnace after nearly three years away. Prediction: Ramos by TKO in rounds 8–10.
The fight is live on DAZN in both the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as globally.
| Region | Platform | Time |
|---|---|---|
| United States | DAZN | Sat 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT |
| United Kingdom | DAZN | Sun 1:00am BST |
DAZN is available on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and via browser. The Cruz vs Bravo main event is also live on the same card — see our Isaac Cruz vs Nestor Bravo fight preview for the full card breakdown.
When is Jesus Ramos vs Meiirim Nursultanov? The fight takes place on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Ring walks for the co-main event are expected around 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT.
What title is on the line in Ramos vs Nursultanov? The WBC Interim World Middleweight Championship. Ramos won the belt with a unanimous decision over Shane Mosley Jr in December 2025 and is making his first defence. The winner holds the interim title with Carlos Adames as the current WBC world champion.
What is Jesus Ramos Jr’s boxing record? Ramos is 24-1-0 with 18 wins by knockout, a KO rate of 78%. His only defeat was a unanimous decision loss to Erickson Lubin in September 2023.
What is Meiirim Nursultanov’s boxing record? Nursultanov is unbeaten at 20-0-0 with 11 knockouts (55%). He last fought in November 2023, a unanimous decision win over Julio Alamos.
How many rounds is Ramos vs Nursultanov? 12 rounds, scheduled for the WBC Interim Middleweight title.
Where can I watch Ramos vs Nursultanov in the UK? Live on DAZN. The main card starts at 1:00am BST on Sunday, September 20.
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