Why a trust led to a multi-year deal for world champ Jose Ramirez and what’s next
Jose Ramirez is staying with Top Rank Boxing and preparing for his next fight – in China.
The WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion signed with Top Rank on Saturday for another three years, just in time for his fight on Feb. 1 at Mission Hills Haikou, an island golf resort south of Hong Kong. He will fight mandatory challenger Viktor Postol for the WBC title.
The Avenal native called his new deal a “blessing” and is looking forward to upcoming fights on ESPN.
“The first time I signed with them, they allowed me to bring boxing to the area in the Central Valley and be a boxing market,” Ramirez said. “Things like that made me feel like that’s a great company to be with because as a young fighter not too many promoters make a difference. ... They kept their promises.”
It was a plan Ramirez and his agent Rick Mirigian set from the moment he first signed with Top Rank in 2012.
He was developed and fought in the central San Joaquin Valley 10 times. He captured his first title in 2014 when he won the vacant NABF junior welterweight belt at Selland Arena.
Ramirez won the WBC Continental Americas super lightweight title in 2015 at the Save Mart Center.
The journey continued when he won his first major title, the WBC super lightweight world belt. He secured it in 2018 with a unanimous decision over Amir Imam in New York City.
In July, Ramirez scored a sixth-round technical knockout over Maurice Hooker in Arlington, Texas, to capture the WBO title.
Mirigian said Top Rank “matched and developed Ramirez to a world champion and allowed us to put on events that we have that no one else has done..”
Said Ramirez: “They allowed me to fight for a WBC title in 2018 and they allowed me to go to a different network (DAZN) to allow me to follow my goals to unify. They allowed me to go out there and come back as a unified champion.”
Ramirez said he’s not looking past Postol because he has a goal to become undisputed champion.
If all goes well for Ramirez in February, he wants to face Josh Taylor, who holds the WBA and IBF world titles.
Ramirez doesn’t care if the fight takes place in the United Kingdom where Taylor is from.
“I want to become undisputed champion in 2020, and I am confident that my dream will become a reality,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind fighting in the UK. Those boxing fans are very loyal and support boxing.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 1:07 PM.
