Jose Ramirez was faced with the toughest test of his career. Jose “Chon” Zepeda was slick, slippery, and would not give in. (photos by Mikey Williams).

But it was a late rally in the championship rounds that pushed Ramirez (24-0, 16 KOs) to a majority decision victory as he retained his WBC super lightweight title for the second time in front of 14,034 screaming fans at the Save Mart Center.

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The scores were 114-114, 115-113, and 116-112, as Ramirez won the 12th round on all three judges’ scorecards to clinch the victory.

As for what's next, Ramirez mentioned unification bouts or perhaps a move up to welterweight. When it was all said and done, the Central Valley folk hero sent his fans home happy.

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