By: Steven Galeano
On Saturday night, from Las Vegas, Nevada, boxing fans will be treated to a sure-fire action fight when undefeated super lightweight champions Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor lock horns. In the end, the boxing world will also find out who becomes undisputed world champion, and true number one of the 140lb division. The action unfolds from the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and will be live on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET.
WBC/WBO champion Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) of Avenal, CA and WBA/IBF/RING Magazine champion Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) of Edinburgh, Scotland are so evenly matched, that a coin toss on fight week determined who would weigh-in and walk out first and second, respectively. Taylor won that coin toss, and to no one’s surprise, elected to weigh-in and walk out second. It is nothing more than a small morale booster, as both champions collide in the epitome of a true 50/50 bout between two elites.
This is nothing like in 2017, the first time a 4-belt undisputed champion was crowned at 140lbs, when Terrence Crawford easily destroyed Julius Indongo, and predictably so. Indongo even went to Crawford’s hometown for the fight, cashing out his two titles in the process.
Taylor has been widely regarded as the number one fighter at the weight, with Ramirez at two. Taylor’s unification win in Oct’ 2019 over Regis Prograis, where he also won the World Boxing Super Series, has generally been regarded as the bigger win over Ramirez’s unification win in July 2019 over Maurice Hooker. That is no issue, as both champions have since called for this undisputed match-up to prove who is undoubtedly the best.
Who wins? First off, the fans. These two undefeated champions were true to their word and are fighting at the primes of their careers, and title reigns.
My prediction? Taylor over Ramirez, close decision, either split or majority.
I believe not much separates both champions. They are both unified, undefeated and will not give up an inch when the going gets tough. This fight will become a war of attrition, and I believe Taylor will have enough tricks to outlast Ramirez. Ramirez does not receive enough respect for his boxing ability and this fight will display his entire arsenal, it just won’t be enough.