By Dan Ambrose: Jose Ramirez says he can’t afford to lose his undisputed light welterweight match this Saturday night, May 22nd against IBF/WBA champion Josh Taylor on ESPN.
Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) will have his WBC/WBO titles in play when he meets up with the unbeaten Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) in the main event for their clash at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 2012 U.S Olympian Ramirez, 28, will be looking to become the first Mexican fighter to become an undisputed champion.
Ramirez is the underdog going to this fight with the highly talented Taylor, and he’s going to need to figure out how to deal with the Scottish fighter’s skills. Even if Ramirez does lose, he’s got the talent and the youth to come again and win another world title down. Ramirez should be able to grab one of the belts within a short period.
Ramirez has to negate Taylor’s skills advantage
Taylor brings a whole different set of skills to the table that Ramirez has dealt with before in the professional ranks during his nine-year career.
For Ramirez to win, he’s going to need to fight at a higher level than what he showed in his previous fight against Viktor Postol last August. That was not a great effort from Ramirez, who struggled with the 5’11” Postol’s boxing skills every step of the way.
It was fortunate for Ramirez that he was given a 12 round majority decision because many fans felt that Postol had done enough to deserve the victory.
“We’re ready to go in there and perform on Saturday, and it’s going to be a great fight,” said Jose Ramirez. “I cannot afford to lose. I have that mentality that I cannot afford to lose, and I’ll find a way to win.
“I’m very composed. I’m out there to bring the best out of me and show my skills the best way I can. I’ve been preparing for this fight my whole love since I was eight years old. I respect boxing very much. I’m a dedicated person.
“I’m happy that Taylor has the support that he does from the UK. That’s the way it should be. We put our lives on the line to entertain you guys.
“I feel like a great fighter like Josh Taylor will bring the best out of Jose Ramirez. I’m pushing myself, and I’ll find a way to win on Saturday.
Jose looking to make history against Taylor
“This fight is going to make me the first Mexican fighter to become the undisputed champion in the history of boxing, so this is a historical fight for me as well.
“This opens the doors for me in the Hall of Fame in the future. This is a fight that brings glory to all the hard-working Mexican immigrants in the United States, as I’m a proud immigrant myself.
“When I first started boxing, I didn’t know what the sport would do for me. I’m the first person in my family to box.
“The more I started winning tournaments, and in competition against the best amateur fighters, that’s when I knew the sport was going to do a lot for me and provide for my family,” said Ramirez.
Former WBA light welterweight champion Regis Prograis enjoyed a measure of success against Taylor by keeping the action long and hitting him with single shots. When he attempted to fight Taylor on the inside, it didn’t work well for him.
Ramirez is an excellent inside fighter as well, but he’s not on the level of Taylor in that area. For him to have a shot at winning, Ramirez will need to stay at medium to long-range.
