Josh Taylor vs José Ramírez - Fight Preview

Saturday night sees a truly compelling super-lightweight unification clash take to the ring, as Josh Taylor and José Ramírez put their undefeated records on the line in an undisputed contest for the WBA Super, WBO, WBC and IBF world titles. Additionally, the coveted Ring Magazine belt is also on the line.

All the belts are on the line for this mammoth super-lightweight unification clash (Photo: Talksport)

This fight has been in the pipeline for some time now, so now fans can begin to get really excited as we embark on fight week for this truly marvellous spectacle between the two best super-lightweights on the planet.

Two undefeated champions with a combined record of 43-0. One southpaw, one orthodox. Each man holding two belts. The Ring Magazine belt on the line. This fight really has wet the appetite of boxing fans all around the world. Now, it is just a matter of days until both men put it all on the line to be crowned the undisputed, best 140-pound fighter in the world.

In one corner you have Josh Taylor. Standing at 5”10 in the southpaw stance, the ‘Tartan Tornado’ is a big man for the weight and has outstanding physical presence. Boasting a record of 17-0, with 13 of those wins coming inside the scheduled distance, Taylor hasn’t put a foot wrong in his professional career to date.

The 30-year-old has gone from strength to strength in his career so far, beginning with a high profile domestic clash with Ohara Davies back in 2017. Since then, it has been step up after step up for the Scot, as he has quickly accelerated himself right to the top of the tree at super-lightweight. Going into the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS), it was evident that Taylor deserved his opportunity. However, the names he faced, beating both Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis, shows just how stellar a performer he is and how good a fighter he has become.

Taylor says he has left no stone unturned during this training camp (Photo: Boxing News)

On his way to winning the WBSS, Taylor picked up both the WBA Super and IBF belts, as well as lifting the coveted Muhammad Ali trophy. All of a sudden, Taylor became a huge name on the world stage, which has certainly helped set up this mouth-watering clash with José Ramírez.

Last time out, Taylor dealt with Apinun Khongsong with supreme ease, knocking him out in just the first round. It is difficult to take anything from this performance, in what was the Scot’s first fight under new coach and trainer, Ben Davison. Other than the fact Taylor carries devastating power, it is unclear to fight fans how much Taylor has improved since leaving Shane McGuigan and teaming up with Davison.

The ‘Tartan Tornado’ goes into the fight as a betting favourite, sitting at a price of around 4/11 with most bookmakers. Judging on both fighters last performances this is understandable, and Taylor will certainly be hoping to go back to Edinburgh as the undisputed super-lightweight champion of the world.

In the other corner, you have José Ramírez. Also boasting a perfect record of 26-0 with 17 wins coming by way of knockout, the American superstar with have his sights firmly set on solidifying himself as the best 10 stone fighter on the planet.

‘Jaguar’ is the current WBC and WBO world champion, winning the famous green and gold belt back in 2018 in a win over Amir Ahmed Imam before defeating Maurice Hooker to add the WBO belt to his collection.

The 28-year-old also has wins over Jose Zepeda and Viktor Postol, as well as three other undefeated fighters. Boxing out of the orthodox stance, Ramírez stands at the same height as his opponent at 5”10, with both men having large frames and being big for the weight class. This could be one reason why both men are so hard to beat, as they are usually both bigger than their opponents.

José Ramírez believes he has what it takes to beat Taylor (Photo: Bible of Boxing)

As mentioned previously, last time out ‘Jaguar’ defeated Viktor Postol, in what was a contentious majority decision victory. Ramírez looked far from his best, and will be hoping he can put that right come Saturday, or else Taylor will simply have too much for him.

Ramírez looked brilliant in his unification fight with Maurice Hooker back in 2019, when he stopped his fellow American in six rounds in what was a classy and spiteful performance. The 28-year-old will need to show form like this if he is to stand a chance against Taylor, but do not rule that out as it is clear to see how good Ramírez can be when at his very best.

One similarity you can draw between the two fighters is that of their fights with Viktor Postol. Although both men got their hand raised, it was the Scottish man who dealt with Postol with ease, whilst Ramírez struggled to a majority decision victory, which many boxing purists thought was harsh on the Ukrainian.

Now, only days away from the clash, boxing fans will be hopeful for a contest which will live long in the memory and which they can come away from knowing who the best super-lightweight in the world is. Will it be the Brit, Josh Taylor, or will it be the American, José Ramírez? Only time will tell, so do not miss this fight!

Fighters' Form:

Josh Taylor

Apinun Khongsong – WIN – KO Round 1

Regis Prograis – WIN – MD (117-112, 115-113, 114-114)

Ivan Baranchyk – WIN – UD (115-111, 117-109, 115-111)

Ryan Martin – WIN – TKO Round 7

José Ramírez

Viktor Postol – WIN – MD (115-113, 114-114, 116-112)

Maurice Hooker – WIN – TKO Round 6

Jose Zepeda – WIN – MD (114-114, 116-112, 115-113)

Antonio Orozco – WIN – UD (119-107, 119-107, 119-107)

Event Information:

Date: April 22nd 2021

Time: Ring walk approx. 4.30am (GMT)

Venue: Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Channel: FiteTV (UK)/ ESPN+ (USA)

Official Fight Poster (@trboxing on Twitter)

Elsewhere on the card, Jose Zepeda faces Henry Lundy in a super-lightweight contest, while Elvis Rodriguez and Kenneth Sims Jr clash in a super-lightweight bout.