Will Jose Ramirez get his wish for a unification title fight?
Jose Ramirez wants to unify his WBC world boxing title against other world title holders in the junior welterweight division.
He may get his wish.
Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing are negotiating a unification fight to take place in the summer between Ramirez and WBO champion Maurice Hooker. If the fight does take place, it will likely be shown on DAZN and a venue could be ironed out this week, sources said.
“I’m just waiting to see if a deal gets done,” said Ramirez, the Avenal native. “My mind is clear and focused and I’m ready to go, and this is the fight I want. I owe it to myself, and the goal is to be a unified champion.”
Bob Arum’s Top Rank has been Ramirez’s promoter since 2012, while Matchroom and Roc Nation Sports co-promote Hooker. Top Rank has a deal with ESPN, but apparently is negotiating to put a Ramirez-Hooker fight on DAZN, the subscription video streaming service.
“Positive discussions and negotiations with all sides,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said. “We hope to have a conclusion to all this very soon.”
The Ramirez-Hooker winner would likely face the winner between Regis Prograis and Josh Taylor for more titles. Prograis holds the WBA title, and Taylor holds the IBF belt.
Ramirez is in Southern California working with his trainer Robert Garcia to get ready for any fight that comes his way.
On Feb. 10, Ramirez retained his WBC title with a 12-round majority decision over Jose Zepeda at the Save Mart Center. Ramirez said he learned a lot from the fight.
“It’s a lesson learned for me to start a little faster,” he said. “Do not give people any hopes early in the fight. I know what I can do and I just got to do it and that’s why I want these big fights.”
