Will Jose Ramirez finally get to defend his boxing world title this weekend?
After a long wait, it looks like boxer Jose Ramirez will finally defend his WBC/WBO world junior welterweight titles.
Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) is scheduled to fight on Saturday against Viktor Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) at the “bubble” in Las Vegas.
The fights will be shown on ESPN+, a streaming subscription service. Fights will begin at 7:30 p.m.
“I’ve been ready,” Ramirez said. “I finished camp with eight rounds. I had two camps and this is my third training camp. My mind as a fighter has never left. It’s like I never took a day off. It’s one year waiting to get a fight and my preparation has been against the same guy.”
Ramirez-Postol fights planned in February in China and in May in Fresno were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Both fighters arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday for COVID-19 testing protocols.
The fighters were away from their teams until Thursday morning to continue to workouts.
Testing will continue through Saturday morning.
A virtual press conference was held Thursday afternoon, to be followed by the weigh-ins on Friday.
When Ramirez and Postol are in the ring, only judges and trainers will be near the ring. No fans will be in attendance.
Ramirez said the setting doesn’t matter: “I’m not focused on that. I just have to perform and do my best.”
Ramirez last fought in July 2019 when he defeated Maurice Hooker in Arlington, Texas, to win the WBO title.
A lot is riding on this fight for Ramirez and Postol.
A win for Ramirez, the 28-year-old Avenal native, moves him a step closer to fighting Josh Taylor for the WBA/IBF world titles late this year or early 2021. Taylor will defend his titles on Sept. 26.
Postol, a 36-year-old Ukrainian, once held the WBC title. He last fought in April 2019, winning by unanimous decision over Mohamed Mimoune.
“Jose is a good fighter,” Postol said. “He’s a champion and I was preparing for this fight. I feel good and ready to fight.”
Ramirez said he knows what Postol is capable of, but he wants to show the audience “how much I improved.”
“His reach, his style can be uncomfortable,” Ramirez said. “He’s crafty. This is his opportunity to do big things and that motivates me to push myself hard.
“I would like to become undisputed champion. (It is) one round at a time, just showing how strong and how much I’ve grown as a fighter.”
Ramirez’s gear to be auctioned off
Following Ramirez’s fight on Saturday, his red and white ring gear will be auctioned off.
The auction is to benefit agricultural workers in Kings County, and Wonderful Pistachios will match the winning bid up to $25,000.
Auction pre-bidding is open, and anyone wishing to place a bid should email Ramirez’s manager/agent Rick Mirigian at rmirigian@gmail.com.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
