By Jeff Aranow: WBC light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez (23-0, 16 KOs) will be fighting on ESPN against an opponent still to be determined on February 10 on a Top Rank Boxing card, according to Dan Rafael. This will be the second defense for the 2012 U.S Olympian Ramirez since capturing the World Boxing Council 140 lb title last March in beating Amir Imam by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The location of Ramirez’s February 10 is still yet to be determined, but it’s likely he’ll be back in Fresno, California. That’s where Ramirez is a big ticket seller. In the 26-year-old Ramirez’s last fight, he defeated previously unbeaten Antonio Orozco (27-1, 17 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision in front of a big card on September 14 at the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California. Ramirez won the fight by the scores 119-107, 119-107 and 119-107. Orozco didn’t have the talent or the work rate to compete with Ramirez in that fight.
With the top guys [Regis Prograis, Josh Taylor, Kiryl Relikh and Ivan Baranchyk] in the 140 lb division tied up currently in the World Boxing Super Series light welterweight tournament, it gives Ramirez a chance to continue to milk his World Boxing Organization 140 lb title against beatable opposition like we saw in his recent one-sided win over Orozco last September. When the WBSS light welterweight tournament ends, Ramirez is going to be facing a difficult fighter like Prograis, Baranchyk or Taylor. Prograis, 29, was supposed to have changed Ramirez before the start of the WBSS tournament. However, Top Rank wanted to buildup the Ramirez-Prograis fight by having Prograis first fight in Fresno on one of Ramirez’s cards to increase interest in their fight.
Prograis was unable to do that due to it conflicting with the start of the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Prograis chose to compete in the tournament with the goal in mind of winning the IBF and WBA belts. If everything goes as Prograis plans, he’ll emerge from the WBSS tournament as the new IBF/WBA champion. He can then challenge Ramirez for his WBC 140 lb title in a unification bout. Prograis is currently the interim WBC light welterweight champion, which means he’s going to get a shot at Ramirez’s WBC title, as long as he stays unbeaten and wins the WBSS tournament.
These are some of the options for Ramirez’s February 10 fight:
Jorge Linares
Cletus Seldin
Mohamed Mimoune
Viktor Postol
Sergey Lipinets
Yves Ulysse Jr.
Maxim Dadashev
Hiroki Okada
Fabian Maidana
Alberto Puello
Aik Shakhnazaryan
Subriel Matias
Adrian Granados
Seldin, Granados, Maidana, Ulysse Jr., Postol and Linares would have to be viewed as the guys that Top Rank will be looking to pick from in choosing Ramirez’s next opponent. The rest of the bunch aren’t well known enough for them to be viable options for Ramirez unless the idea is to have him win an easy fight against an obscure opponent.
Since turning pro in 2012, Ramirez has looked impressive in defeating the likes of Imam, Orozco, Mike Reed, Jake Giuriceo, Manuel Perez and Issouf Kinda. Ramirez looks good, but he hasn’t faced any of the lions in the light welterweight division yet for him to earn his stripes properly. If Ramirez can beat the likes of Prograis, Josh Taylor, Linares, Baranchyk and Sergey Lipinets, then he’ll no longer just be seen as a belt holder. Ramirez will be viewed as a real world champion at 140.