Gilberto Ramirez needed nine-plus rounds to stop an extremely courageous, stubborn underdog Saturday night.

The Mexican southpaw withstood a shaky start in the first round, went toe-to-toe with Yunieski Gonzalez in many rounds of a fantastic fight and finally finished off the dangerous Cuban in the 10th round of their main event at AT&T Center in San Antonio. Ramirez seemed as though he would finish off Gonzalez in the third round, but the ridiculously resilient Gonzalez incredibly took Ramirez’s hardest shots for parts of seven additional rounds, rocked Ramirez multiple times and remained dangerous throughout their light heavyweight bout.

Ramirez (43-0, 29 KOs) never knocked the 36-year-old Gonzalez to the canvas. Referee Rafael Ramos stopped their thoroughly entertaining encounter at 1:23 of the 10th round because Gonzalez (21-4, 17 KOs) took too many unanswered punches while backed into the ropes.

The 30-year-old Ramirez was listed as a 30-1 favorite by most online sportsbooks, but their fight was significantly harder for the former WBO super middleweight champion than the odds suggested.

A straight left by Ramirez backed Gonzalez into a corner a little less than a minute into the 10th round. Ramirez sensed the end was near, thus he unloaded various rights and lefts as Gonzalez was backed against the ropes.

Gonzalez didn’t return any punches, which prompted Ramos to finally stop the fight.

Ramirez landed multiple left hands to Gonzalez’s body during the final minute of the ninth round. Gonzalez mostly missed with his right hands in the ninth round.

Gonzalez caught Ramirez with a chopping right hand with just over 40 seconds to go in the eighth round, in which Ramirez landed numerous left hands. Gonzalez stumbled back to his corner after the eighth round ended.

Gonzalez took several more straight lefts in the first half of the seventh round before he appeared to buzz Ramirez with a left hand of his own just before the halfway point of it. Ramirez moved backward and tried to hold Gonzalez after taking that punch.

Earlier in the seventh round, Gonzalez’s head crashed violently into Ramirez’s jaw as they tried to throw punches.

Ramirez and Gonzalez got their legs tangled and crashed to the canvas together with about 1:10 to go in the sixth round. Ramirez again got the better of Gonzalez in the sixth round, but Gonzalez remained dangerous.

Gonzalez began the fifth round on unsteady legs. Ramirez landed numerous left hands in the opening minute of that fifth round, but Gonzalez remained upright.

Gonzalez mounted a comeback near the midway mark of the fifth round, when he backed Ramirez into the ropes and unloaded various unanswered power shots on the heavily favored fighter. A rejuvenated Ramirez then blasted Gonzalez with an array of power punches in the final 30 seconds of the fifth round, but the ever-game Gonzalez wouldn’t go down.

Gonzalez’s right hand stopped Ramirez from punching approximately 45 seconds into the fourth round. Ramriez’s left hand wobbled Gonzalez with 1:25 to go in the fourth round.

Ramirez tried to finish Gonzalez, but Gonzalez blasted Ramirez with a right hand, remained on his feet and continued to trade with Ramirez despite that it looked like he could be knocked out with any punch Ramirez landed.

Gonzalez could barely stand up straight, yet he continued winging wild shots right up until the bell sounded to end the fourth round.

Ramos took a point away from Gonzalez for holding Ramirez in a headlock 45 seconds into the third round. Ramirez went after Gonzalez from there, but Gonzalez kept him honest by landing a couple right hands as Ramirez unloaded straight lefts and right hooks.

They then traded punishing power shots in an entertaining final 30 seconds of the third round. Gonzalez stared at Ramirez before he walked to his corner after the bell sounded to end the third round.

Following a rough first round, Ramirez defended himself better during the second round. He went on the offensive in the final 30 seconds of that second round, when Ramirez landed two right hooks and three straight lefts on Gonzalez.

Gonzalez landed two hard right hands within a 10-second span a minute into the first round that affected Ramirez. A straight left by Ramirez backed up Gonzalez with about 1:20 to go in the opening round.

Gonzalez landed two more right hands that made Ramirez move away from him in the final minute of the first round. Ramirez landed a straight left with 10 seconds to go in that opening round.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.