Fresno-area boxer Jose Ramirez retains title, looks forward to making Hispanic history
Jose Ramirez admitted he was lacking a “killer instinct.”
Still, the Avenal native did just enough to successfully defend his WBC and WBO junior welterweight titles Saturday night and win by majority decision over Viktor Postol in “the bubble” in Las Vegas.
The win keeps Ramirez in line for his goal of being the first Hispanic to become the undisputed champion in the four-belt era. He still needs to claim Josh Taylor’s IBF/WBA titles to unify the championship.
But it wasn’t easy.
“I was losing that killer instinct that I usually show,” Ramirez said. “I know I’m going to be much fresher and stronger when I do face Josh Taylor.”
Taylor will have a mandatory defense against Apinun Khongsong on Sept. 26.
Said Top Rank’s Bob Arum: “It was a good fight, but both men were impacted by going through three training camps and the whole situation with COVID-19. That being said, I thought Jose clearly won the fight.”
Judge Steve Weisfeld scored it 116-112, while Tim Cheatham had it 115-113 and Dave Moretti wrote 114-114 on his scorecard as Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) stayed undefeated.
Saturday’s match was broadcast nationally on ESPN+ but without fans because of limits on public gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Trainer pushes Ramirez
Words of encouragement in his corner gave Ramirez the boost he needed minus fan frenzy.
It was around Round 7 when Ramirez’s trainer, Robert Garcia, told his boxer to not give up any rounds and just be aggressive.
Ramirez troubled Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) in the round when he connected on a left hook on Postol that sent him to the ropes. Ramirez later delivered a one-two combination.
“Robert knows what I can do,” Ramirez said. “He was trying to keep me motivated and hungry. He understands it’s been a long year of training. He probably knew I was a little tired mentally. He just wanted me to finish strong.”
Ramirez admitted, “I think for a minute I got too comfortable.”
But he also understood what Postol brought to the fight.
“Postol is a disciplined fighter. Everybody in the boxing world knows he’s a disciplined fighter. I would’ve loved to make a bigger statement.
“I felt like I was just in a sparring session when I could’ve showed that killer instinct that I usually show. It’s part of the experience. There is no excuse. This is part of the game and I’m just going to learn from this.”
Dealing with distractions
Ramirez twice earlier this year was set to defend his title only for the matches to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He spent a portion of the year in Southern California to prepare for the fights while his family stayed in the Fresno area.
“It’s been such a long year,” Ramirez said. “I sacrificed myself through training through the holidays. I was missing my fiance, my son and my family. There were so many things...I wanted to hurry up and get this fight over with. I was a little distracted and burned out.”
Now, it’s only a matter of time when Ramirez will face Taylor. Of course, that’ll depend heavily on whether Taylor successfully defends his titles next month.
For now, Ramirez said he will enjoy some time with his fiance. The couple found out three weeks ago that they are expecting their second child.
Ramirez could next possibly fight in early 2021 without a crowd, Top Rank said.
This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 9:16 PM.
