Tahmir Smalls vs Abel Ramos Preview Feb. 28th, 2026
Unbeaten Tahmir Smalls of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania takes a step up in class this Saturday, February 28th as he battles it out with Abel Ramos of Gettysberg, Pennsylvania. The 10-round welterweight bout can be seen live on DAZN in most nations from Glendale, Arizona. Ramos last boxed November when he earned a draw with Mario Barrios in a slugfest for the WBC Welterweight Title. Ramos was dropped in the second round while Barrios was down in the sixth. Smalls last stepped into the ring in October when be beat Jose Roman Vazquez via a 10-round unanimous decision.
Smalls vs Ramos Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Abel Ramos +300
- Tahmir Smalls -425
My Pick
The 26-year-old Smalls enters the ring with a perfect mark of 16-0 with 11 Ko’s. He turned pro in 2019 and is signed with Matchroom Boxing and is ranked number nine in the world by the WBA at the moment. He had a relatively short amateur career as he decided to develop his boxing skills via extensive Philadelphia gym work by sparring with boxers such as Brian Norman Jr. He’s known for his speed and punching power as his current knockout ratio stands at 68.7 per cent. Smalls went the distance in his last outing but has stopped eight of his last 10 opponents.
Smalls has just 51 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro and his biggest wins have come against Clarence Booth, Luis Alberto Veron, Earl Bascome and Seantorious Martin. However none of his first nine opponents entered the ring with a winning record. Smalls measures 5-feet-9-inches tall but unfortunately there’s no reach information available for him. He has fought as heavy as a middleweight in the past but it looks like he’s going to remain as a welterweight for the time being.
The 34-year-old Ramos makes the ring walk with a record of 28-6-3 with 22 Ko’s and has boxed 195 rounds since making his pro debut in 2011. He now fights out of Arizona and beat Jame Herring and George Rincon as an amateur while losing to Amir Imam. Ramos also stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 69-inch reach so is the same height as Smalls. As far as power is concerned, he has more than enough of it to cause damage as 78.6 per cent if his wins have come by stoppage including his last four. However, his overall record is 2-3-1 in his past half dozen fights.
Ramos owns mediocre chin as he was stopped by Regis Prograis in the eighth round in 2015 for the vacant NABF Junior Super Lightweight Title. He was beaten by Ivan Baranchyk by 10-round unanimous decision in 2017 for the USBA Super Lightweight Title and was dropped a couple of times and was dropped by Barrios in his last outing. Ramos lost a 10-round majority decision to Jamal James in 2018 and split decision to Yodenis Ugas in a shot at the vacant WBA Welterweight Title in 2020. He also dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Luke Santamaria in 2022 in a shot at the vacant WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Title and a 12-round majority decision to Cody Crowley in 2023.
His first draw was an eight-round affair with Maurice Hooker in 2014 with his second draw being a six-round tilt with Levan Ghvamichava the same year. His latest stalemate of course was his last outing when he went 12 rounds with Mario Barrios. As we can see, when Ramos steps up in class he usually falls just short, other than his sixth-round stoppage of Omar Figueroa in May, 2021. His biggest wins have been against Figueroa, Bryant Perrella, Roberto Ramirez, Mario Hermosillo, Javier Mercado, Emanuel Robles, Francisco Santana and Jimmy Williams.
Prediction…
Ramos definitely has the edge in experience and has fought tougher opposition than Smalls. He also carries more power but his chin isn’t as solid. Ramos will prefer to make this a bit of an ugly fight if possible as Smalls has the better skills. Smalls is taking a step up in class though and this will be a tough test. Smalls is eight years younger but Ramos has proven he’s able to be a handful when at his best. This could be a hard-fought, close fight and a Ramos win is possible. He’ll have to be at his absolute best to pull out a win here however and it’s hard to say what he has left in the tank at his age and after a few ring wars. I’ll give Smalls the edge, but Ramos could pull it out.
A close fight with Smalls having the better overall boxing skills.
Play: Smalls -425 @ BetOnline.ag
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Abel Ramos betting • Tahmir Smalls betting