LAS VEGAS – No dispute.

Josh Taylor made sure of it, knocking down Jose Ramirez twice enroute to winning all of the pieces to the junior-welterweight title with unanimous decision Saturday night in front of a small crowd at Virgin Hotels and an ESPN audience.

 The judges scored it the same way. It was 114-112 — once, twice, three times — all for Taylor. The margin was only two points, a nod perhaps to Ramirez’ toughness. But the difference between the two was clear, indisputable. There was no argument. No need for a rematch.

Taylor moved toward an even bigger date, perhaps with leading pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford at a heavier weight, welter. But there were no lingering questions Saturday about who he was. There’s not a better 140-pound fighter on this planet or any other.

“I have been waiting for this moment all my life,’’ he said to a crowd of fellow Scots who chanted his name and waved the Scottish flag.

Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) seized the moment midway through the fight with all of his advertised guile and power. He had promised to knock out Ramirez (26-1, 12 KOs). But that was the only promise he didn’t keep. He knocked put everything else, including some early doubt.  

Ramirez was first to enter the ring, wearing a robe in bright colors and dark shoes. Taylor followed, clad in Scottish tartan and a waistband in gold. It was a clash of culture. A clash of colors. A clash of styles.

After a couple of days marked by escalating trash talk, they had finally arrived at the moment when they would communicate with hands bound in white gloves and loaded with dark intent.  

Ramirez was the first to strike. For three plus rounds, he moved forward throwing right hand leads with his first step toward Taylor. It appeared to surprise Taylor. For few moments, the Scotsman looked uncertain, even dazed. But he would recover, adjust and mount the fight’s second and third strikes.

Late in the fourth and throughout the fifth, Taylor seemed to regain his footing and eventually the momentum. He imposed his will, if not his superior height on Ramirez, moving forward in much the same way that Ramirez had in the earlier rounds.

In the sixth, Taylor caught, a left-handed counter that landed on Ramirez’ chin and dropped him onto the canvas. In the seventh, Taylor struck again, this time in the split second after referee Kenny Bayless separated them. Bayless stepped back from the break and Taylor fired a left uppercut.

Ramirez was back on the canvas, down for a second time. He got up. But the spring in that first forward step was gone.

Suddenly, Taylor looked bigger.

Looked stronger.

Looked to be in control.

He was.

“We used his aggression against him,’’ Taylor said. “No disrespect. I’ve got nothing but love for Ramirez. This week was no disrespect. It was all part of the mind games to get in his head, to make him more eager to jump in at me and be more aggressive, to use his aggression against him.”

Ramirez wasn’t finished after the knockdowns. He never is. He carried on the fight with the resilience that has been a trademark to his career and his character. In the eleventh, an incoming Ramirez appeared to stun Taylor, who fell into him and then hung onto him. But it wasn’t enough and Taylor knew it. He waved a gloved right hand at the crowd, limited to 750 people by COVID protocol, as he walked to his corner after the eleventh.

One more round, and there would be no dispute.  

“I’ve got nothing but love for Ramirez. This week was no disrespect. It was all part of the mind games to get in his head, to make him more eager to jump in at me and be more aggressive, to use his aggression against him.

“I thought the scorecards were a little tight. I thought they were well wider than that. I wasn’t too happy with the selection of the judges, but I wasn’t going to moan. I was confident in winning this fight anyway.”

Ramirez said, “He took advantage of some of those clinches but, hey, I got back up and tried to give it my best and stay smart. I was never hurt. I was aware. I was just disappointed every time it happened. I tried to shake it off and get back to my rhythm. But it was overall a good fight. Hopefully, I get back and I learn from my mistakes. You win some and you lose some. 

“I felt like I landed some clean shots. It came down to the clinches. He would let his hands go as soon as he got his chance and I think I left it to the referee to do his part and it was a lack of experience on my part.”

Zepeda Decisions Lundy

Jose Zepeda didn’t have much time to celebrate. He won with precise punches. Then, he went back to work as a hopeful observer.

Zepeda (34-2, 26 KOs) kept himself in line for a junior-welterweight title with a unanimous decision, 98–92 on all three cards, over Hank Lundy (31-9-1, 14 KOs) Saturday in the Theater at Virgin Hotels.

Then, he took seat, hopeful for a shot at the winner of the next fight, Jose Ramirez-versus-Josh Taylor for all of the pieces to the 140-pound title. Zepeda, of Long Beach, Calif., looked solid against Lundy, a Philadelphia fighter. For 10 rounds, it was all business for Zepeda, who was coming off a wild Fight of the Year in October when he got up from four knockdowns to knock out Ivan Baranchyk. In 2019, he lost a majority decision to Ramirez.     

Sims Upsets Rodriguez via Majority Decision

The show began with an upset. Kenneth Sims Jr. scored it, opening the ESPN telecast for the Jose Ramirez-Josh Taylor bout with a stunner, a majority decision over junior-welterweight prospect Elvis Rodriquez at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels. Rodriguez (11-1-1, 10 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, started strong. But he appeared to tire midway through the eight-rounder. Sims (16-2-1, 5 KOs), began to catch up with him, rocking him with repeated blows and staggering him in the closing moments of a bout that ended with him leading on two cards, 78-74 on each. On the third, it was a draw, 76–76.  

Sims remarked, “I got a baby on the way, so that’s all the extra motivation I needed.” 

Mexican featherweight Jose Vivas overcame two knockdowns and a point reduction for a low blow to score a unanimous, yet narrow decision over Louie Coria of Moreno Valley, Calif. Vivas (21-1, 11 KOs) looked beaten in the third when Coria (12-5, 7 KOs) dropped him twice. But Rivas, a Manny Robles-trained fighter, came roaring back with an aggressive inside attack. Over the next five rounds, Vivas rocked him with repeated body blows. The judges noticed. All three scored it, 75-74, for him in the final fight on the ESPN+ portion of the Ramirez-Taylor card. 

Las Vegas junior-lightweight Andres Cortes (14-0, 7 KOs) relied on aggressiveness in a tough fight to stay unbeaten, scoring a 77-75, 78-74, 75-3 decision over Eduardo Garza (15-4-1, 8 KOs), a Texas fighter who kept it close with body punching throughout eight rounds of the fourth fight on Ramirez-Taylor card.  

Cuban featherweight Robeisy Ramirez (7-1, 4 KOs) combined precision and power to score repeatedly over six rounds for a one-sided decision over Ryan Allen (10-5-1, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas. Allen’s hands-down defense left him wide open for repeated blows from Ramirez throughout the third bout on the Jose Ramirez-Josh Taylor card.  

Raymond Muratalia (12-0 10 KOs), a lightweight from Fontana, Calif.,  had all the advantages. His strength, size and power overwhelmed Jose Gallegos (20-11, 15 KOs) midway through the fifth round of a scheduled eight-rounder. It was over, a TKO, at 1:40 of the round during the second fight on card featuring Jose Ramirez-Josh Taylor at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels.

Javier Martinez remained undefeated with a fourth round stoppage over Calvin Metcalf in a scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

In round four, Martinez landed a perfect right hook to the head that sent Metcalf down and out at 1:33.

Martinez, 162.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 4-0 with two knockouts. Metcalf, 160.4 lbs of Kansas City, MO is 10-6-1.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – On the scale, nothing separates them. A fight projected to be even in every way was exactly that at the weigh-in.

Not an ounce separated Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor Friday. It was 139.6 pounds each for all four of the significant pieces to the junior-welterweight title Saturday at Virgin Hotels.

Ramirez has two of the belts. Taylor has the other two. Half-and-half, split right down the middle in a bout (ESPN 8pm ET/5 pm PT) between two fighters with different, yet equal styles.

Take your pick.

In Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) , there is a versatile skillset, an ability to switch from right to left and agile footwork that allows him to move in, out and away. In Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), there is dogged grit, a tireless determination to move forward with a will that seeks, even embraces, adversity.

Take your pick.

The best one might be Fight of the Year. Late Friday, only the betting wasn’t divided. Taylor was a slight favorite. In a pick-em fight, it looks as if the bettors favor Taylor because he has more options, more ways to win.

But Ramirez has an instinct that is very hard to beat. Think Erik Morales. Think Michael Carbajal. Think Oscar Valdez Jr. They seemed to get better when hurt. Adversity is an ally. Their way.

For Taylor, the task is to break that will. He’s confident enough to believe he can.  Ramirez is vulnerable, Taylor said.

“Vulnerable to be stopped,’’ he said in a conference call earlier this week.

Taylor is promising a knockout to anyone willing to listen, especially Taylor. Ramirez has been there, face-to-face, for photos Thursday after a news conference and again Friday.

An angry confrontation erupted as Taylor and his cornermen left the weigh-in and encountered a crowd of Ramirez fans in a hallway outside of the ball room. At the hotel elevators, Ramirez and Taylor shoved each other, each exchanging insults and threats. Opening bel can’t come soon enough.

For the last couple of days, the Scotsman called The Tartan Tornado has been The Tireless Trash Talker. It’s only business, perhaps. He says he respects Ramirez. But Ramirez, he says, is his enemy through Saturday.

If trash talk is a calculated weapon, it might be working. Ramirez, the quiet son of farmworkers in central California, reacted to Taylor’s rhetorical footwork Thursday and again Friday. Ramirez told Boxing Scene that Taylor is “a fake” after Thursday’s final news conference.

After they faced off after Friday’s weigh-in, Ramirez matched Taylor, word-for-word, as they stood nose-to-nose. Eventually, Taylor trainer Ben Davison stepped in between the two. As Davison led Taylor away and toward the edge of the stage, Ramirez gestured to him as if to say the Scot was all talk, only talk.

It was noteworthy only because nobody has ever seen Ramirez react with that kind of angry emotion. Was Taylor in his head? Had Taylor distracted him? Or had Taylor only motivated Ramirez even more?

Ramirez has already talked about what a victory could do for him in terms of legacy.

“This is a historical fight for me,’’ he said a few days ago. “You know, this could open up the doors for the Hall of Fame for me in the future.’’

It’ll open a lot of immediate doors for the winner. There’s talk of a fight against welterweight champion and leading pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford, the last junior-welterweight to hold all four belts.

Crawford has nothing on his schedule. Manny Pacquiao announced Friday that he will fight Errol Spence Jr. on August 21.

“One-forty-seven, 140, 135,’’ Taylor said. “The possibilities, the options after this fight, are massive.’’

Take your pick.

  •    Jose Ramirez 139.6 lbs vs. Josh Taylor 139.6 lbs 
(Undisputed Junior Welterweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
Judges: Tim Cheatham, Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld
Referee: Kenny Bayless

•          Jose Zepeda 140 lbs vs. Hank Lundy 139 lbs 
(Junior Welterweight— 10 Rounds)

•          Elvis Rodriguez 139.8 lbs vs. Kenneth Sims Jr. 139.8 lbs 
(Junior Welterweight— 8 Rounds)

(ESPN+, 4:45 p.m. ET / 1:45 p.m. PT)

•   Jose Enrique Vivas 127.4 lbs vs. Louie Coria 127.5 lbs 
(Featherweight — 8 Rounds)

•         Andres Cortes 132.2 lbs vs. Eduardo Garza  132.5
(Junior Lightweight  — 8 Rounds)

   •   Robeisy Ramirez 126.6 lbs vs. Ryan Allen 125.4
 (Featherweight   — 6 Rounds)

•       Raymond Muratalla 137 lbs vs. Jose Gallegos 139.6
 (Lightweight — 8 Rounds)
•      Javier Martinez 162.5 lbs vs. Calvin Metcalf 160.4
 (Middleweight — 6 Rounds)

By Norm Frauenheim–

Nothing can mix and confuse extremes quite like boxing. From courage to cowardice, it’s all there all at once. That’s part of the attraction. Part of the problem, too.

This weekend, it’s all there all over again, another example of what has been called life-in-a-shot glass. Good-and-bad, 180-proof, in a cocktail sure to enthrall and exasperate.

Start with the good, Jose Ramirez-versus-Josh Taylor Saturday night (ESPN, 8p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) in a fight at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels for all of the relevant belts between junior-welterweights, both unbeaten and in their primes. What’s not to like?

Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs), a confident Scotsman, and Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), a farmworker’s son from central California, bring all of the personal and physical elements to a bout that promises to be a classic. At every level, it’s compelling.

It’s also a refuge from the other side of a whiplash-like week that sums up the schizoid state of the game.

It’s a short trip from classic to crap, which is a polite way of describing the spit-bucket full of ongoing headlines about Anthony Joshua-versus-Tyson Fury. Will it happen? I don’t care. Not anymore.

It feels as if the heavyweight talks have lasted as long as the Pandemic. They haven’t, of course. Like the virus, however, there just never seems to be a real end to reported negotiations for a fight said to be worth $155-million.

Only the insults escalate in what appears to be a fight with diminishing chances at landing on any calendar in any hemisphere.

The latest problem looks to be an arbitrator’s ruling to uphold Deontay Wilder’s contractual right to a third fight sometime before September 15 or The Twelfth of Never.

Fury has been suggesting he needs a tune-up, which is exactly what Wilder might offer if his performance in losing a seventh-round stoppage to Fury in a rematch last February is any indication.

Meanwhile, Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn is suddenly issuing deadlines instead of promises. And Fury is issuing threats, challenging Joshua to a street brawl instead of a fight that Fury said would happen in Saudi Arabia on August 14.

Joshua-versus-Fury is getting to be a little like Terence Crawford-versus-Errol Spence Jr. Maybe, we’ll see both on Triller a couple of decades from now.

But there is Taylor-versus-Ramirez.

“Now at the end of this pandemic, we have the best fight of the whole pandemic experience,’’ Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. “We don’t have to sell anything about this fight. We just mention the fighters. They are both undefeated, both former Olympians, both world champions. This will be a great fight!”

Arum, a man of many words. has unloaded his share of vitriol during his role as Fury’s co-promoter. But he didn’t have to say much about Ramirez-Taylor

That says volumes about what might be Fight of the Year.

LAS VEGAS (May 20, 2021) — Nobody’s hat was stolen. No brawl broke out. WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez and WBA/IBF champion Josh Taylor were all business Thursday at the final press conference for Saturday’s undisputed junior welterweight world title showdown at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) and Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) are fighting, not only to maintain their unbeaten records, but to become the sixth man to attain undisputed status in the four-belt era. For the first time since the matchup was officially announced nearly three months ago, the two best 140-pound fighters in the world were face to face. A little good-natured trash talk followed. But that’s to be expected.

Two days before the fight, this is what Taylor, Ramirez and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum had to say.

Bob Arum

“I’m very excited. Now at the end of this pandemic, we have the best fight of the whole pandemic experience. We don’t have to sell anything about this fight. We just mention the fighters. They are both undefeated, both former Olympians, both world champions. This will be a great fight!”

“With Jose as a fighter, you have seen his accomplishments, but I’m more impressed with the man he is outside of the ring. I’m proud of Jose.”

Jose Ramirez

“It’s an honor for me to face a great fighter like Taylor. This will be the best fight of the year.”

“He is very prideful of his country and I respect that. That’s the way a champion should be.”

“This has been a great training camp. I’m very motivated. It will be an honor and a blessing to make history as the first Mexican undisputed champion.”

“I believe a fighter like Taylor will bring out the best in me. He is a technical fighter, and when you face a fighter like that, you see everything clearly. You will see all the small things that I have worked on and that will show the experience I have as a fighter. You will see all my skills, and I will put on a show against a great fighter.”

“I’ve never been a fan of opinions of who is the best fighter out there. Sometimes people don’t understand that especially at this level, each fight is going to be tough. I always train like I’m the underdog. I always train like each fight is the biggest fight of my career. I can’t afford to lose. That’s always been my mentality. I always find a way to win.”

Josh Taylor

“I loved every single minute of camp in Las Vegas. Felt great to be back to normal.”

“I respect every fighter that jumps in the ring. You don’t become a unified champion out of anywhere. You have to be a great fighter. I highly respect him. He is a great fighter and a great person, but on Saturday night, as soon as that bell rings, all that goes out the window”

“This fight means the world to me. Puts my name in the history books as one of the {best} Scottish fighters in history. That’s why I have trained so hard for this fight. I dedicated my whole life to the sport. I’m so confident. This is a pure boxing fight.” 

“I’m confident I’m getting the KO on Saturday.”

SATURDAY, May 22, 2021

ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Jose Ramirez vs. Josh Taylor, 12 rounds, Undisputed Junior Welterweight World Title

Elvis Rodriguez vs. Kenneth Sims Jr., 8 rounds, junior welterweight

ESPN+, 4:45 p.m. ET/1:45 p.m. PT

Jose Enrique Vivas vs. Louie Coria, 8 rounds, featherweight

Andres Cortes vs. Eduardo Garza, 8 rounds, junior lightweight

Raymond Muratalla vs. Jose Gallegos, 8 rounds, lightweight

Javier Martinez vs. Calvin Metcalf, 6 rounds, middleweight

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

The most anticipated fight so far in 2021 airs live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, this Saturday, May 22 when WBC/WBO champion José Ramírez (26-0, 17 KO) and IBF/WBA champion Josh Taylor (17-0, 13 KO), clash in a winner-take-all battle of unbeatens for the undisputed junior welterweight world championship live from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Live coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. ET., with undercard action on ESPN+ (English and Spanish).  Main card coverage airs on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ (English and Spanish) at 8 p.m. ET.

Fight week and fight night programming will feature ESPN’s boxing commentator team, including Joe Tessitore, two-division world champion and 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward, and future Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley. The on location desk team will feature Bernardo Osuna and Mark Kriegel. WBO female junior lightweight champion and 2016 U.S. Olympian, Mikaela Mayer, will join ESPN’s commentator team as guest analyst for the undercards.

Coverage across ESPN platforms begins Thursday, May 20 with a full lineup of Ramírez vs. Taylor preview content in primetime on ESPN. Complete fight week coverage includes:

• Ramírez vs. Taylor Official Press Conference (LIVE): Thur. at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+
• Max on Boxing: Ramírez vs. Taylor Preview Special (Thur. at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN): One-hour special hosted by Max Kellerman
• State of Boxing: Ramírez vs. Taylor Preview Special (LIVE): (Thur. at 9 p.m. on ESPN)
• Blood, Sweat and Tears: Ramírez vs. Taylor (Thur. at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN): the two-part, behind-the-scenes look at the fighters’ camps, also available on demand on the ESPN App;
• SportsCenter (Fri-Sat.): Tessitore hosts live segments from Las Vegas 
• Ramírez vs. Taylor Official Weigh-In (LIVE):Fri at 4 p.m. ET on the ESPN App and ESPN YouTube channel
• Top Rank Post Show: Ramírez vs. Taylor (LIVE): Immediately following Main Event on ESPN+ (approx. 10:30 p.m. ET)
• Mark Kriegel feature on Ramírez and Taylor 
• José Ramirez v Josh Taylor “The Good Ol’ Days” Essay by Mark Kriegel.

ESPN.com

• Ready to be undisputed: José Ramírez and Josh Taylor share their journey to boxing history
• Thursday: Expert Picks
• Friday: Mark Kriegel: Ramírez-Taylor is the antidote for the current state of boxing, Ringside Seat

ESPNDeportes.com will feature pre-and post-fight content, videos, daily reports, stats, and real-time fight score and analysis.

Top Rank on ESPN Ramírez vs. Taylor (All Times ET)

*Immediately follows conclusion of Main Card

JACK CATTERALL is on a Las Vegas spying mission as he plots to become World Super-Lightweight champion.

Edinburgh’s IBF and WBA World champion Josh Taylor meets WBC and WBO title holder Jose Ramirez on Saturday and Catterall will be front row making sure the winner doesn’t duck out.

The winner has vowed to face WBO mandatory contender Catterall next after the Chorley man agreed to step aside and allow all four belts to be at stake in boxing’s capital.

Catterall, who boasts a pristine 100% record with 26 wins, no losses and no draws, said “I’m excited to be here for fight week.

“It is a massive fight, hopefully it is a good fight and I can let everyone know I’m serious about fighting the winner.

“I will do some training, sparring and ultimately watch the fight. After the weekend we will have a clear direction of where we’re going.

“I stepped aside on the promise that I will get the winner and I am under no illusion because anything can happen, but ultimately I have allowed them to create this big undisputed title fight.

“I have beaten everyone in front of me, done everything asked of me on my side.”

Catterall, 27, believes that a Taylor win will set-up a huge England v Scotland battle, but has doubts about Ramirez keeping his word if he triumphs.

“I hope Josh wins and hope he is a man of his word” added Catterall, who will spend two weeks in Las Vegas training.

“It’s been talked about Taylor having a homecoming fight at Edinburgh Castle and I am bang up for the challenge.

“I could be wrong and I hope I am wrong, but I don’t think Ramirez will give me an opportunity. I think he probably has other plans.

“Taylor has publicly thanked me for stepping aside and allowing this big fight to happen. Hopefully he can get the job done and we can get it on.

“I have been very patient and it’s been a long time coming, but I will be getting my crack.

“I’ve said it from the start, I think Taylor wins.

“Ramirez has improved, but is one dimensional. He has a big heart, will come forward but he is up against a southpaw mover who can get stuck in. He will face problems.

“Every meaningful fight I’ve had has been on the road. Tyrone McKenna I went to Belfast, Tom Stalker we were in Liverpool and Tyrone Nurse in Leeds.

“I don’t mind travelling and Edinburgh for a scrap would be brilliant. I have already planned English drummers to walk me out.”

LAS VEGAS (May 11, 2021) — Before Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor clash for the undisputed junior welterweight world title Saturday, May 22 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, two featherweight firefights will get the action going.
 
Mexican contender Jose Enrique Vivas will battle the Robert Garcia-trained Louie Coria in a scheduled eight-rounder.
 
And, in an eight-rounder with a touch of gold, two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez will face Juan Tapia, the fighting pride of Brownsville, Texas.
 
Vivas-Coria and Ramirez-Tapia are among the undercard fights scheduled to stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.
 
Ramirez-Taylor headlines a junior welterweight tripleheader starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+. The main card will also showcase Jose “Chon” Zepeda in a 10-rounder versus “Hammerin” Hank Lundy and unbeaten sensation Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez against former U.S. amateur star Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. in an eight-rounder.
 
Vivas (20-1, 11 KOs) went 2-0 last year inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, outlasting Carlos Jackson in a Fight of the Year contender and knocking out John Vincent Moralde in the opening round. A former Mexican amateur standout, Vivas has won three straight bouts since a points loss to Ruben Villa. Coria (12-4, 7 KOs), from Moreno Valley, California, hopes to break a two-bout losing skid, although both defeats came in brawls that could’ve easily gone his way. Last June, he dropped a majority decision to Adam Lopez, and four months later, he knocked down 2016 Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceicao en route to a disputed unanimous decision verdict.
 
Ramirez (6-1, 4 KOs) turned his career around following a shocking decision defeat to Adan Gonzales in his professional debut. He avenged that loss last July via shutout decision and most recently knocked out Brandon Valdes (13-1 at the time) in the sixth round. Ramirez makes his 2021 debut against Tapia (10-3, 3 KOs), a seven-year pro who has gone the distance against 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Vladimir Nikitin and pound-for-pound standout Shakur Stevenson.
 
In other undercard action:

• Las Vegas native Andres Cortes (13-0, 7 KOs) will make his 11^th consecutive hometown appearance, this time against Eduardo “Thunder” Garza (15-3-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round junior lightweight tilt. Cortes made a memorable impression inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble last July, recovering from a fourth-round knockdown to outpoint Alejandro Salinas.
   
• Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (11-0, 9 KOs), the Robert Garcia-trained lightweight prospect from Fontana, California, will fight Jose Luis Gallegos (20-10, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Muratalla is coming off a third-round stoppage win over Luis Porozo last November on the Terence Crawford-Kell Brook card, his sixth consecutive knockout win.
   
• Middleweight prospect Javier “Milwaukee Made” Martinez (3-0, 1 KO), who was once the top-ranked American amateur at 165 pounds, will fight veteran Calvin Metcalf (10-5-1, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder. Martinez last fought Feb. 20 and knocked out Billy Wagner in the first round.

About Ramirez vs. Taylor

Promoted by Top Rank, Ramirez vs. Taylor is a 12-round showdown for the undisputed junior welterweight world championship, which will take place Saturday, May 22 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (and simulcast on ESPN+) at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

The telecast will also feature a 10-round junior welterweight battle between Jose “Chon” Zepeda and “Hammerin” Hank Lundy, in addition to an eight-round junior welterweight tilt between knockout artist Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez and Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. 

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
 
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

LAS VEGAS (May 10, 2021) — The countdown is on, and WBC/WBO junior welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez is 12 days away from a legacy-defining undisputed showdown against Josh Taylor, Scotland’s IBF/WBA/Ring Magazine kingpin.
 
It’s business as usual for Ramirez, the 2012 U.S. Olympian from California’s Central Valley who hopes to become the first four-belt undisputed champion of Mexican descent. He’s spent the better part of two months training in Riverside, California, with Robert Garcia, who has guided his career inside the ring since after his March 2018 title-winning effort over Amir Imam.
 
With fight week seven days away, Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) is the prohibitive underdog for the first time in his professional career, as Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) is a more than 2-to-1 favorite at most sportsbooks. Ramirez is aware of public perception, but it doesn’t faze him as he enters the sixth world title fight of his career. Taylor earned the prestigious Ring Magazine belt with his October 2019 decision over Regis Prograis, but on May 22, the sport’s loftiest prize will be on the line.
 
As training camp winds down, this is what Ramirez had to say:
 
“I’ve always been the underdog. That’s my mentality. I am fighting for my place in boxing history. No boxer of Mexican descent has ever held all four world title belts. I’m aware that most people are picking against me, but that only fuels me further.”

“In my mind, I’m supposed to win this fight. I don’t let the outside noise get to me. No matter what you do, or who you beat, there’s always going to be somebody else out there. At this moment, that person is Josh Taylor.”
 
“We both wanted the fight, and I respect him for taking on the challenge. Josh and I are out to make history, and I know I will be the better man on May 22.”

“The odds are what they are, but the best junior welterweight, the undisputed champion, will be crowned May 22.”
 
About Ramirez vs. Taylor

Promoted by Top Rank, Ramirez vs. Taylor is a 12-round showdown for the undisputed junior welterweight world championship, which will take place Saturday, May 22 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (and simulcast on ESPN+) at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT

The telecast will also feature a 10-round junior welterweight battle between Jose “Chon” Zepeda and “Hammerin” Hank Lundy, in addition to an eight-round junior welterweight tilt between knockout artist Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez and Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr.

LAS VEGAS (May 7, 2021) — There can be only one junior welterweight world champion. WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) will battle IBF/WBA king Josh Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) for division supremacy Saturday, May 22 (ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 8:30 p.m. ET) at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
 
Before they go toe-to-toe, go behind the scenes of both fighters’ training camps with “Blood Sweat & Tears: Ramirez vs. Taylor,” a two-part docuseries chronicling the buildup to this cross-continental showdown. Part 1 premieres this Sunday, May 9 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on ESPN2, while Part 2 drops on ESPN2 the following Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
 
Immediately after the debut of each episode, they will be available for replay on-demand in the ESPN App and on ESPN.com.
 
Ramirez, the pride of California’s Central Valley, has been a world champion since March 2018. He unified world titles in July 2019 with a sensational knockout over Maurice Hooker and is coming off last August’s majority decision over former world champion Viktor Postol. The all-access cameras caught Ramirez at training camp in Riverside, California, and in the Central Valley as he led the charge with community leaders to make the COVID-19 vaccination readily available to the region’s agricultural workers.
 
Taylor, from Edinburgh, Scotland, hopes to become only the second undisputed champion in Scottish boxing history, following lightweight legend Ken Buchanan. “The Tartan Tornado” reached the division’s apex with title-winning efforts in 2019 over Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis. The cameras followed Taylor from the start of training camp in London to the finishing touches in Las Vegas. Taylor’s head trainer, Ben Davison, helped guide heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s return to the ring in 2018 after a prolonged absence.

London, UK (7 May 2021) Red hot Irish prospect Stephen McKenna has just completed the most beneficial sparring camp of his career with IBF & WBA Super World Super Lightweight Champion Josh Taylor ahead of the Scotsman’s mega fight with the WBC & WBO World Champion Jose Ramirez.

The undefeated young talent from Smithborough, County Monaghan, has been racking up the rounds with Taylor this last week in Las Vegas before the two unified World Champions collide in one of the biggest fights of the year on Saturday 22nd May.

‘The Hitman’ has previously shared two training camps with Ramirez where he sparred nearly 100 rounds in total with the American, which has given the fast-rising young star plenty of crucial and valuable learning experiences as he makes rapid progress in his own career.

McKenna won’t be at the fight, though, as he has his own fight lined up on the same night back in the UK when he features on his promoter Mick Hennessy’s big show at the Coventry Skydome Arena, headlined with the all-out war between Sam Eggington and Carlos Molina for the Vacant WBC Silver Middleweight Championship, live and free on Channel 5.

Along with father and trainer Fergal and younger brother and top undefeated super-welterweight prospect Aaron, the fighting family first went to Mexico to train before heading to Los Angeles and then finishing off in Las Vegas.

McKenna is now desperate to get back in the ring with his last fight in December ending in a third round knockout of Devon’s durable Des Newton and hopes to show off what he’s learnt and the improvements made from his sparring with Taylor.

He said, “It’s great to be a part of Josh’s preparations for his fight with Jose Ramirez and it’s fantastic work for me to get in there with someone of Josh’s calibre, a man who’s a unified World champion and going for all the titles. It’s brilliant experience for me and I couldn’t be getting any better work in the gym than with him and I’m really in top form for my fight on May 22nd,”

“I’ve also sparred with Ramirez for a few training camps so I’ve been in the ring with the both of them. They’re two different style of fighters and its going to be a cracking fight and a fight of the year contender, no doubt about it, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s hard to say who’s going to win it but all I know is that it’s going to be a great, great, fight.”

“With Josh I’ve done nearly forty rounds and with the two training camps with Ramirez, nearly eighty rounds, so I I did a lot of work with Ramirez also, he’s a great fighter, the same with Josh. I know that I can go in and mix it with these guys and I’m up there at that level, I’m just really looking forward to getting up to the next level and then fighting for world titles.”

The 24-year-old has raised eyebrows with his ice-cold demeanour and frightening display of power-punching that has seen him establish a perfect seven fight record with seven knockouts. All of his wins have come inside five rounds with four of those in the opening round that has singled him out as one of the best and most exciting young fighters to keep an eye on in 2021.

McKenna continued, “I’m getting all the experience I need in the gym, when I go into a fight I go in there to knock people out and get the job done. I’m not really interested in going rounds in fights because I’m getting it in the gym sparring with world class fighters and I have been for the last couple of years to really learn the the game. Anytime I go into fight I’m going in for the knockout,”

“Just sharing the ring with Josh, he’s a different style of fighter to Ramirez, he’s a southpaw and very sharp. It’s about adapting to change my style of fighting, I can box on the front foot, I can stand off, I can change. I have many different ways of fighting different guys, southpaw or orthodox, I can box when I need to box and fight when I need to fight, it’s just about learning from Josh and seeing what level I’m at to be sharing a ring with him,”

“I’ll be heading back to Ireland on Sunday. On this trip we’ve been to Mexico, LA and finished in Vegas. I’m in the best shape of my career, I’ve improved so much, I just can’t wait to be back in the ring and live on Channel 5.”

Fergal is delighted with the trip and believes the experience will have benefitted his son no end as Stephen’s career steps up towards Championship contention. He said, “Stephen has been a benefit to Josh, he’s similar to Ramirez with his aggressive nature. When you bear in mind he helped Ramirez prepare, Stephen’s in a unique position to know both fighters, Ramirez is rough and rugged whereas Josh is very technical and has the speed,”

“It has given Josh a good opportunity to practice for the fight. It’s really interesting to see how Josh prepares and handles things and it’s another learning experience for Stephen to be mixing in this calibre. It’s only a matter of time until Stephen’s there at the top,”

“This was a real good move for us to come down to Vegas to get Josh. It was getting a bit stale in LA, no one wanted to spar and they were asking for money to spar with Stephen. When we got the offer to come down and spar with Josh, we said we’ll take it as it will fix the problem we have and we tied in with another gym to accommodate Aaron,”

“It’s the confidence the fighter gains for mixing at that level and it is what someone like Steven gets out of this training camp so he’s coming away knowing that in his next fight he’s been in Josh Taylor’s training camp. Stephen’s in tremendous shape, he’s probably in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in and probably at the fittest I’ve ever seen him in.”

Presented by Hennessy Sports in association with William Hill, Infinitum, Numan, Everlast and King Carlos Promotions, Eggington v Molina will headline the exciting nine-fight card exclusively live and free-to-air across the UK and Ireland on Channel 5.

Main event features Birmingham warrior Sam Eggington (29-7-0, 17 KO’s) against Mexico’s hard-as-nails Carlos Molina (37-11-2, 12 KO’s) for the Vacant WBC Silver Middleweight Championship. Chief support features a cracking showdown between Birmingham’s Kaisee Benjamin (11-1-1, 2 KO’s) and Dumbarton’s Martin Harkin (13-1-0, 5 KO’s) in an Eliminator for the British Welterweight Championship (Subject to BBBofC approval).

Also on the card, Coventry sensation River Wilson-Bent (8-0-0, 4 KO’s) makes the first defence of his Midlands Area Middleweight title against Derby’s George Farrell (5-0-0, 1 KO). Former British Light-Heavyweight Champion Shakan Pitters (14-1-0, 4 KO’s) has his first back against Bradford’s Jermaine Springer (7-2-0, 1 KO) in an eight-rounder since losing his title to Craig Richards last December. County Monaghan super-lightweight dynamo Stephen ‘The Hitman’ McKenna (7-0-0, 7 KO’s) features in a six-rounder, but the undefeated red-hot 24-year-old prospect has not needed to go the distance yet with all his fights ending inside. Birmingham middleweight bombshell Idris ‘The Bodybreaker’ Virgo (9-0-1, 1 KO) goes in over six-rounds. Sevenoaks all-action super-welterweight Michael Hennessy Jr. (5-1-1) is in a six-rounder against Warminster’s Paul Cummings. Irish super-welterweight ace Brett McGinty (1-0) follows up his thrilling pro debut last December when he features in a four-rounder against Birmingham’s Josh Hodgins. Brighton heavyweight talent Tommy Welch (1-0-0, 1 KO), son of the former British, Commonwealth and World Heavyweight title challenger Scott, follow’s up his explosive debut last December when he stopped Matt Gordon in the second round and features in a four-round contest.

For further information go to www.hennessysports.com or social media: Facebook @HennessySports, Twitter @HennessySports and Instagram @hennessysports

LAS VEGAS (May 5, 2021) — Top Rank on ESPN boxing returns for a quartet of fight nights at Las Vegas’ newest world-class casino resort, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, owned by JC Hospitality, LLC.  
 
The debut event, Saturday, May 22 inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, features the previously announced undisputed junior welterweight world championship showdown between WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez and Scotland’s native son, WBA/IBF champion Josh Taylor (ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT). In the 10-round junior welterweight co-feature, two-time world title challenger Jose “Chon” Zepeda will now face Philadelphia veteran “Hammerin” Hank Lundy.
 
The action continues three weeks later, Saturday, June 12, when undefeated former featherweight world champion Shakur Stevenson, from Newark, New Jersey, fights Namibian contender Jeremiah Nakathila for the WBO interim junior lightweight world title. On Saturday, June 19, undefeated Japanese knockout sensation Naoya “Monster” Inoue defends his IBF and WBA bantamweight world titles against Filipino IBF No. 1 contender Michael “Hot and Spicy” Dasmarinas.
 
The grand finale at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas showcases the comeback of living legend and former three-weight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, who seeks to get back on the winning track against Masayoshi Nakatani in the 12-round lightweight main event.
 
Fans will be permitted inside the venue for all four fight cards at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. A limited number of tickets for Ramirez-Taylor, priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50, go on sale TODAY, May 5 at 12 p.m. PT, and can be purchased by visiting Etix.com. Ticket information for the final three fight cards will be announced shortly.
 
“Las Vegas is synonymous with world championship boxing and we are proud to bring that excitement to Virgin Hotels Las Vegas through our partnership with celebrated Top Rank, offering our resort guests and boxing fans an unforgettable experience,” remarked Gary Scott, COO of JC Hospitality, LLC, owner of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
 
“Top Rank is honored to debut boxing at the beautiful new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas with many of the sport’s biggest stars in sensational fights,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We begin May 22 with a genuine super fight, a precursor for the great action to come in June.”
 
June 12
Stevenson vs. Nakathila
ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs) will headline in Las Vegas for the third time as he seeks to capture a world title in a second weight class. One of the world’s top pound-for-pound talents, Stevenson is tasked with turning back Nakathila (21-1, 17 KOs), who has won 10 consecutive fights by knockout since the lone defeat of his career.
 
June 19
Inoue vs. Dasmarinas
ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Japanese star Inoue (20-0, 17 KOs) has already cemented his legacy as one of his nation’s great fighters, winning world titles in three weight classes and sporting a record of 15-0 with 13 knockouts in championship fights. He made his Las Vegas debut last October and knocked out Australian contender Jason Moloney with a straight right hand that became an instant viral highlight. Dasmarinas (30-2-1, 20 KOs) is 12-0-1 since the last defeat of his career, a run that includes a 2018 knockout over three-time European bantamweight champion Karim Guerfi.
 
June 26
Lomachenko vs. Nakatani
Streaming Exclusively on ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
“Loma” is back. The Ukrainian superstar and future Hall of Famer fights for the first time since last October’s showdown against Teofimo Lopez for the undisputed lightweight world title. Lomachenko’s return comes against Nakatani (19-1, 13 KOs), a longtime Japanese contender who most recently knocked out Felix Verdejo in one of the best fights of 2020. Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) won a pair of Olympic gold medals before turning professional in 2013, and he then proceeded to win world titles in three weight classes in his first 12 fights. The “pound-for-pound Picasso” will be giving up roughly five inches in height and six inches in reach to the naturally bigger Nakatani.
 
About Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a reimagined and re-conceptualized casino resort. The property is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. The integrated resort intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture and features three hotel towers totaling over 1,500 Chambers and suites; the 60,000 sq. ft. Mohegan Sun Casino, operated by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment; a five-acre desert pool oasis including a multi-functional event lawn; live music and entertainment theater with 4,500 capacity; 24 Oxford showroom accommodating 650 guests; an exclusive portfolio of twelve food and beverage venues including Todd English’s Olives, Kris Yenbamroong’s Night + Market, the legendary Nobu, Michael and David Morton’s One Steakhouse, Kassi Beach House from restauranteur Nick Mathers, Casa Calavera by global hospitality company Hakkasan Group, the sports entertainment, daylife and nightlife venue Money, Baby! from Justin Massei and Mikis Troyan of Clive Collective, famous Afters Ice Cream, Pizza Forte by the Ferraro Family and signature Virgin Hotels restaurants and bars including The Kitchen at Commons Club, The Bar at Commons Club, The Shag Room and Funny Library Coffee Shop. The property is owned by JC Hospitality, LLC, in partnership with Juniper Capital Partners, Virgin Group, LiUNA, Fengate Asset Management, Dream and Orlando Development. The off-Strip playground is located at 4455 Paradise Road. For more information, visit www.virginhotelslv.com.
 
About Virgin Hotels
Virgin Hotels is a lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service, straightforward value, and a seamless, personalized hotel experience with the track record of innovation and smart disruption that Sir Richard Branson’s global Virgin Group has pioneered for 50 years. Each property intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for travelers and locals alike. Virgin Hotels Chicago – named the “#1 Hotel in the United States” in 2016 and “#1 Hotel in Chicago” in 2016, 2017, and 2020 by the Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards – Virgin Hotels Dallas – named the “#16 Hotel in Texas” – Virgin Hotels Nashville and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas are now open. Locations in New York, New Orleans, Miami, Edinburgh and Glasgow to follow. Virgin Hotels continues to explore hotel and office conversions and ground-up development in Boston, Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, and London.
 
About Curio Collection by Hilton
Curio Collection by Hilton is a global portfolio of nearly 100 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts. Curio Collection properties offer travelers authentic, curated experiences through distinctly local offerings and elevated amenities, while providing the benefits of Hilton and its award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors. Read the latest brand and hotel stories at newsroom.hilton.com/curio, and connect with Curio Collection on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

LAS VEGAS (April 1, 2021) — The most anticipated fight of the first half of 2021 now has some powerful backup.
 
Jose “Chon” Zepeda will battle Mexican veteran Pedro Campa in a 10-round junior welterweight battle Saturday, May 22, which will serve as the co-feature to the undisputed junior welterweight world title bout between WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez and IBF/WBA champion Josh Taylor.

And, in a junior welterweight special attraction scheduled for eight rounds, top prospect Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez will take a seismic step up against Chicago native and one-time U.S. amateur standout Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr.

This junior welterweight tripleheader will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.  Location, venue and ticket information will be announced shortly.

“The current and future stars of the junior welterweight division will be on display May 22,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Jose Zepeda is one of the very best 140-pounders in the world, and he’ll have a chance to cement his status against a rugged Mexican in Pedro Campa. Elvis Rodriguez is a future world champion. Kenneth Sims Jr. is no pushover, but we believe this is the ideal next step as he continues his development.”
 
Zepeda (33-2, 26 KOs) is coming off last October’s fifth-round knockout over former world champion Ivan Baranchyk, the consensus 2020 Fight of the Year that featured eight total knockdowns culminating in the one-hitter quitter that ended the bout. A two-time world title challenger who pushed Jose Ramirez to a majority decision in their 2019 showdown, Zepeda is unbeaten in four fights since the Ramirez defeat, including a one-sided decision over two-weight world champion Jose Pedraza. Campa (32-1-1, 21 KOs), from Guaymas, Mexico, is 5-0-1 since the lone defeat of his career and most recently toppled veteran Carlos Cardenas by majority decision.
 
“I’m ready to go,” Zepeda said. After my Fight of the Year with Baranchyk, I’m better than ever. It’s only a matter of time before I become a world champion.”

The Freddie Roach-trained Rodriguez (11-0-1, 10 KOs), one of boxing’s elite young talents, went 5-0 inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, including four stoppages in three rounds or less. He went the distance for the first time in his career Feb. 20, topping Argentinian veteran Luis Alberto Veron by eight-round unanimous decision. Sims (15-2-1, 5 KOs), who lost to Jose Ramirez by one point at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, has sparred with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Jorge Linares in the paid ranks. His defeats have come via close decisions to Rolando Chinea and Samuel Teah, but he has won two straight since the 2018 unanimous decision verdict to Teah. Against Rodriguez, he has the opportunity to flash the amateur pedigree that saw him defeat the likes of current contenders Lamont Roach Jr., O’Shaquie Foster and Albert Bell.
 
Rodriguez said, “I am happy and grateful for this opportunity, and I am going to make the most of it. It is a great step for my career, and I want to continue to show the boxing world that I have the talent to achieve great things.”
 
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst. 
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

(March 9, 2021) — Lindolfo Delgado, a 2016 Mexican Olympian who is 11-0 with 11 knockouts as a professional, has signed a multi-year contract with Top Rank. The junior welterweight sensation is managed by Rick Mirigian, advised by MTK Global, and trains with Robert Garcia in Riverside, Calif.

Delgado, who hails from Linares, Mexico, will make his Top Rank debut May 22 on the undercard of the undisputed junior welterweight world title showdown between WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez and IBF/WBA champion Josh Taylor.

“Lindolfo Delgado has only begun to scratch the surface of his boundless potential,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “I believe he is going to be Mexico’s next great champion, and I can’t wait to see him in action May 22.”

“I would like to thank Bob Arum, Rick Mirigian and MTK Global for working so hard to make this happen,” Delgado said. “It is a great honor to fight on a card like Ramirez-Taylor, and I can’t wait to put on a spectacular performance for the fans on May 22. I represent Mexico with great pride, and I want nothing more than to bring a world title home.”

Mirigian said, “There is no doubt in my mind that Delgado is a future world champion at junior welterweight. With Top Rank to develop him through the next chapter of his career, the sky is the limit. He has movie-star looks and crossover appeal in both Mexico and the United States, and with Robert Garcia in his corner, he is in the best hands.”

Delgado, 26, went 139-15 as an amateur and turned pro soon after losing his opening bout at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His aggressive style proved more suited to the professional game, as he knocked out four of his first five opponents in three rounds or less. In March 2019, Delgado shined on the Errol Spence Jr.-Mikey Garcia undercard, knocking out James Roach with a left hook to the body in the opening round. He last fought in September 2019 on the Spence-Shawn Porter card, battering Jesus Zazueta Anaya en route to a sixth-round TKO.

(March 2, 2021) — Two undefeated junior welterweight kings, one undisputed title. The stakes don’t get any higher.
 
WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez, the pride of California’s Central Valley, will fight Scotland’s IBF/WBA champion Josh Taylor for the undisputed world championship Saturday, May 22. The winner will become only the second undisputed junior welterweight champion of the four-belt era, joining pound-for-pound great Terence “Bud” Crawford.
 
Promoted by Top Rank, Ramirez-Taylor will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (and simulcast on ESPN+) starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. The location, venue, and undercard information will be announced shortly.
 
“This is the best boxing has to offer, two elite fighters in the prime of their careers colliding in a legacy-defining matchup for the undisputed championship of the world,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “It’s a true 50-50 fight, one that the fans and both fighters demanded.”
 
Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) has been a world champion since March 2018, when he toppled Amir Imam via unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC strap. Following the Imam victory, he hired noted trainer Robert Garcia, and the duo has combined to go 4-0 in world title fights. Ramirez knocked out Maurice Hooker in July 2019 to unify world titles and defended his belts last August with a majority decision over former world champion Viktor Postol. Ramirez, a proud son of Mexican immigrants who hails from Avenal, Calif., is an agent of social change in his community. He’s devoted his time and resources to myriad causes, including cancer research, water rights for area farmers, and COVID-19 relief for Central Valley field workers.
 
“I look forward to making history by becoming the first boxer of Mexican descent to hold all four major world title belts,” Ramirez said. “I dedicate this fight to the Central Valley farm workers, who are out there every day helping feed the world. This fight is big, but nothing is bigger than getting vaccinations to the farm workers right now in the Central Valley.”
 
“No excuses, no fake social media promises, no grandstanding. This is the best fighting the best at their absolute best,” said Rick Mirigian, Ramirez’s manager.  “Jose will have his hand raised in the end, solidifying his status as a Hall of Famer.”
 
Like Ramirez, Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) fought as a lightweight at the 2012 London Olympics, where he advanced to the Round of 16. While he didn’t turn pro until 2015, “The Tartan Tornado” won the Commonwealth 140-pound title in only his seventh pro bout. Taylor toppled Postol by unanimous decision in 2018 and won the IBF world title the following year with a decision over Ivan Baranchyk. He unified the IBF and WBA titles in October 2019, edging Regis Prograis by majority decision in a brutal masterpiece. He made his first defense as a unified champion last September, blasting out mandatory challenger Apinun Khongsong in the first round. Taylor hopes to make a little history of his own as the first undisputed, four-belt Scottish champion.
 
Taylor said, “I’m excited it’s been finalized and over the line. I can’t wait to get in there for the biggest fight of my career. Fighting for the undisputed title is something all boxers dream about.”
 
Use the hashtag #RamirezTaylor to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.
 
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).
 

Johnny Schulz

By Bart Barry-

Saturday on ESPN+ in Las Vegas undefeated American junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez went 12 successful rounds with Ukrainian technician Viktor Postol in Ramirez’s tryout to become champion Josh Taylor’s next mandatory challenger.  The scores were split.  One judge saw the match a 6-6 affair, another saw it 7-5 and a third saw it 8-4.  Ramirez did enough to win, and Postol did enough to have others complain on his behalf.

I tried to remember if I cared about Postol during his ringwalk.  It’s an important inventory, I find, now that a pandemic has turned everything upsidedown.  Promoters, after all, lie to us constantly, boldly and badly.

This gimmick about wanting to crown the first-ever unified champion, of Latin descent, in the four-belt era – the dream of every immigrant’s son in California’s Central Valley – is threadnaked, even by boxing standards, even in a pandemic.  Suffering through it began my Postol inventory.  I made no progress.  I was excited by Ramirez’s beating Maurice Hooker last year, I recalled when the highlights rolled, and promoter Top Rank is the best at making competitive matches when it wishes to be, and I’ll watch most anyone who might make a future match with a WBSS winner – so complete is my fealty to DAZN’s roundrobin concept.  I was engrossed enough in the fight a few rounds later to cease my inventory; I recalled Postol making a yawner with Bud Crawford, the first time Top Rank tried to market Bud like a pay-per-view attraction, and reminded often Postol lost a decision to WBSS winner and division champion Josh Taylor.  That was enough.

The next morning I discovered Lucas Matthysse was the reason I cared about Postol.  Six months after Matthysse executed his MAD-pact with Ruslan Provodnikov he got himself dissuaded emphatically by Postol, who just isn’t my kind of fighter.  Postol has natural gifts of size and skill and uses them to lose narrowly to his division’s best men.  He’s a light favorite of our beloved sport’s malcontents, though Saturday, blessedly enough, those guys were busy on the other end of the dial, where their patron saint, Erislandy Lara, played keepaway with a 15-1 underdog from Wakefield, Mass., where there’s plenty of fighting and very little of it good. 

Top Rank has done a fine job with Ramirez.  Spotting his limitations early Top Rank made Ramirez about biography and the genuine need his neighbors feel for a champion, fighting Ramirez in Fresno over and over and showing the promotional outfit’s adaptability.  Ramirez has done his part, too, tying himself to his community and offering the sort of autobiographical vulnerability ESPN types adore.

Obviously the network has a rooting interest in Ramirez it doesn’t have in Postol, though I caught myself wondering why there wasn’t something that might be done with Postol’s life in Ukraine, something headier than glib graphics about how many miles Postol’s flown for cancelled matches.  Disclaimer: Maybe there was a 45-minute segment on Postol’s grandfather running potato-mash moonshine out Kiev in a lowered Tatra 603 and how his scofflaw bearing subverted the relationship his grandson, Viktor, would someday have with his father, the moonshine runner’s son, before the Ramirez biopic aired on ESPN+, which apparently the poshest among us now call The Plus, but if it happened while Alfredo “Perro” Angulo made his match down the dial, I missed it.

I thought of Angulo halfway through The Plus’ mainevent, wondering how much different Ramirez was from Angulo, really, as a fighter (all indications are that, far as character goes, they’re quite different, though I spent an hour on the phone with Angulo once and found him a fragile sort with a highpitched giggle and not the psychopath American immigration officials claimed he be); both were Olympians, both are heavyhanded pressure guys, both believe in their chins’ durability much more than their opponents’.  How likely is it I’d’ve made this association were Angulo and Ramirez not fighting a few minutes apart?  Way unlikely.  This is a pandemic, though, and everyone is upsidedown right now, especially those trying hardest to pretend nothing is changed, which might be read as further cover for what a dull mainevent Saturday’s much-anticipated tilt was.

I didn’t anticipate it at all.  I included much-anticipated because Tess and Dre told me to, being, as it was, part of the road to a unification ESPN and Top Rank and Ramirez need far more than Josh Taylor does.  Taylor’s the unified champion, after all, for having unbuttoned the undefeated Russian Ivan Baranchyk in May 2019 and then unstrapped the undefeated American Regis Prograis five months later.

Taylor is the world’s best 140-pound prizefighter until someone proves otherwise.  There’s no controversy.  Would Ramirez be the world’s best 140-pound prizefighter had his handlers allowed him participate in WBSS?  Maybe.  Probably not.  Nothing Ramirez showed Saturday indicated he’d have undone Prograis, much less Taylor, and Top Rank’s evident concern about losing a ticketseller to a roundrobin format, last year, speaks to the promoter’s handicapping savvy.  The risk did not justify the reward.  At least not when there were tickets to sell, eh guys?

I don’t think I know much more about Josh Taylor than: He is from Scotland, and he won his championship the right way.  That’s plenty.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Jose Ramirez won a 12-round majority decision over mandatory challenger Viktor Postol via majority decision to retain the WBC/WBO Junior Welterweight World Titles at The MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Postol had success early on as he worked behind his long jab. Ramirez pushed the action and hurt Postol. Ramirez continued to push the action and landed some hard power shots in a battle that was nip and tuck for much of the fight. Ramirez outlanded Postol 156 to 147, and won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.

Ramirez, 139.8 lbs of Avenal, CA is 26-0. Postol, 139.7 lbs of Ukraine is 31-3.

Said Ramirez, “I went in there a little too cold, you know? I impressed myself. I’m much stronger than most guys think. I just gotta not lose confidence in myself and stick to what I do best and box, let my hands go and not hesitate too much. I think there was a little bit of hesitation throughout the fight.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the ring. There have been a lot of things that have happened in my personal life. It’s been such a long training camp. I think {I went} through the routine instead of, ‘Let’s fight.’
 
“I felt like I was just in a sparring session. I think I could’ve made the fight a lot easier in my favor, but we live and we learn. This was an amazing experience. I’m just happy I got the win.”

Said Top Rank chairman 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.”

Barboza Decisions Luis

Arnold Barboza Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over Tony Luis in a junior welterweight bout.

In round six, Barboza was deducted a point. Other than that, it was all Barboza.

Barboza landed 225 of 69 punches; Luis was 135 of 577.

Barboza, 139.2 lbs of South El Monte, CA won by scores of 99-90 on all cards and is now 24-0. Luis, 139.4 lbs of Cornwall, CAN is 29-3.

Said Barboza, “To be honest, I haven’t fought since last November. I haven’t gone 10 rounds in a while. He was a tough guy. I needed the rounds. I showed a little bit of what I’ve been working on in the corner, going southpaw and all that. I give my performance a ‘B.’ I wasn’t really satisfied because I didn’t get the stoppage. It happens.
 
“I want {Alex} Saucedo. I think me and him would be a great fight. I know he wants it. I want it, so we could probably get it on soon. If he’s ready, I’ll be ready.”

Rodriguez stops Wilson in 3

Elvis Rodriguez kept his perfect knockout streak in-tact as he stopped Cody Wilson in round three of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Rodriguez dropped Wilson with a straight left to the chin. In round three, Rodriguez sized Wilson wit a jab and landed a booming left to the head that made Wilson plummet in the corner and the fight was stopped at 1:03.

Rodriguez, 143.9 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 9-0 with nine knockouts. Wilson, 142.9 lbs of Farimony, NY is 9-3.

Said Rodriguez, “We knew it was going to be a tough fight because I’m a 140-pound fighter, but this fight took place at 144 pounds. I knew I had to be patient, but I knew that I could set up that knockout.

“When someone like Freddie Roach, a Hall of Famer, a legendary trainer, says that about someone like me, wow, that’s amazing. It’s also bringing some pressure because I have to perform. I know that under him, I’m going to continue to develop my skills, my talent, and I’m not going to let anyone down.”

Raymond Muratalla remained undefeated as he stopped Cesar Valenzuela in round seven of a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout,

In round one, Muratalla dropped Valenzuela with a straight right to the head. In round two, Valenzuela got even as he dropped Muratalla with a right to the head.

After that, Muratalla started to and continued to beat up Valenzuela until the fight was stopped at 2:24 of round seven.

Muratalla, 135.4 lbs of Fontana, CA is 10-0 with eight knockouts. Valenzuela is 134.9 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 15-7-1.

In a battle of undefeated bantamweights, Gabriel Muratalla won a four-round unanimous decision over Justice Bland.

In round one, Bland seemed to have dropped Muratalla, but he hit him while he was down, and then docked a point.

Muratalla, 119.6 lbs of Fontana, CA won by scores of 38-36 on all cards, and is now 5-0. Bland, 118.7 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 2-1.

Javier Martinez remained undefeated by pounding out a six-round unanimous decision over Rance Ward in a middleweight bout.

Martinez, 159.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 2-0. Ward, 162.9 lbs of Houma, LA is 4-2-1.

  •     Jose Ramirez 139.8 lbs vs. Viktor Postol 139.7 lbs 
(Ramirez’s WBC/WBO Junior Welterweight World Titles — 12 Rounds)
Judges/Referee: Tim Cheatham, Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld/Russell Mora

•    Arnold Barboza Jr. 139.2 lbs vs. Tony Luis 139.4 lbs 
(Junior Welterweight — 10 Rounds)

•    Elvis Rodriguez 143.9 lbs vs. Cody Wilson 142.9 lbs 
(Welterweight — 6 Rounds)

•      Raymond Muratalla 135.4 lbs vs. Cesar Valenzuela 134.9 lbs 
(Lightweight — 8 Rounds)

•     Gabriel Muratalla 119.6 lbs vs. Justice Bland 118.7 lbs 
(Bantamweight — 4 Rounds)

•    Javier Martinez 159.5 lbs vs. Rance Ward 162.9 lbs 
(Middleweight— 6 Rounds)About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

LAS VEGAS (August 27, 2020) —  Finally! After a pair of fight dates fell by the wayside, WBC/WBO junior welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez and former world champion Viktor Postol are set to fight Saturday evening from the MGM Grand “Bubble” (ESPN+ coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET). They were scheduled to fight Feb. 2 in China and May 9 in Fresno, Calif., but the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled those plans.

In other action Saturday evening, junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. will fight Canadian veteran Tony Luis, and Dominican knockout artist Elvis Rodriguez will look to extend his knockout streak to seven against Cody Wilson in a six-rounder at welterweight.

This is what Ramirez and Postol had to say at Thursday’s press conference.

Jose Ramirez

 “After the big win against Hooker, I am ready to go and continue my journey to become undisputed champion. I know Viktor Postol stands in the way of that, and he is a very experienced fighter. I have been training very, very hard for this fight.

“Due to the pandemic, the fight got rescheduled, but I stayed at the gym. I remained composed and patient. I have a great team and my family behind me. I’m a man of faith. I believe everything happens for a reason, and now that I’m here, I can’t wait to showcase my talent on August 29. I want to show the world how much I have grown and matured as a unified champion. My goal is to become {undisputed} world champion.

“For the first date for this fight, I did a full training camp. The fight got rescheduled the same day I was supposed to depart, but luckily, I didn’t get to the airport. For the second date, I was in camp for five weeks before I got the call that the fight was going to get canceled again. Now, this is another nine-week camp that I’ve been on. My last fight was 13 months ago, but it feels like it was yesterday because I’ve been in the gym the whole year and with this fight on my mind the whole time.”

Viktor Postol

“The first training camp was tough because I came to the U.S. two months before the fight and we actually departed to China for the first fight date. It was a long flight. This camp has also been very long. I came three months before the fight date, but I feel good. I feel ready to fight.

“Jose is a good fighter. He is a good champion, but I know I have a good chance to win this fight. I have the motivation because this fight is for two belts. I’ll be ready.”

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

(August 27, 2020) — Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, the heavyweight division’s most feared young knockout artist, will defend his WBO International belt Saturday against Dutch upstart Ricardo Snijders in a scheduled 12-rounder from BT Sport Studio in London.
 
Dubois-Snijders headlines a scheduled six-bout card on ESPN+ beginning at 2 p.m. ET, which kicks off a boxing marathon exclusively on the streaming service. Later that day, WBC/WBO junior welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez will defend his world titles against former world champion Viktor Postol (7:30 p.m. ET).
 
The 22-year-old Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs) went 5-0 with 5 knockouts in 2020, including a fifth-round demolition over the previously unbeaten Nathan Gorman. He won the British and Commonwealth titles to rise to the top of the domestic heavyweight crop and closed out the year last December with a second-round stoppage over Kyotaro Fujimoto. Dubois is well known to ESPN+ viewers, as his last seven bouts have streamed live on the platform. As he awaits a potential showdown with unbeaten countryman Joe Joyce, he must defeat Snijders (18-1, 8 KOs), who has fought all but one of his pro bouts in his home country.
 
In other streaming action on the Dubois-Snijders card:

• Junior bantamweight contender Sunny Edwards (14-0, 4 KOs) will defend his IBF International strap in a 12-rounder against noted spoiler Thomas Essomba (10-5, 4 KOs). Edwards recently captured the British title with a points win over Marcel Braithwaite, while Essomba has defeated unbeaten prospects in his last two bouts.
   
• WBO European junior welterweight champion Sam Maxwell (13-0, 11 KOs) will make the second defense of his belt in a 10-rounder against Joe Hughes (17-5-1, 7 KOs), a former English and European champion looking to break a two-bout losing skid.
   
• Light heavyweight prospect Willy Hutchinson (11-0, 7 KOs) will fight Ben Thomas (2-2-3, 1 KO) in a 10-rounder.
   
• Lightweight prospect Sam Noakes (3-0, 3 KOs) and rising heavyweight David Adeleye (2-0, 2 KOs) will also see action.
   

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 
 
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

LAS VEGAS (August 19, 2020) — The Dominican Republic’s most feared southpaw slugger since David Ortiz, Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez, returns on the Jose Ramirez-Viktor Postol/Arnold Barboza Jr.-Tony Luis undercard Saturday, Aug. 29 for his third appearance inside the MGM Grand “Bubble.” Rodriguez will fight Cody Wilson in a six-round welterweight bout as part of the exclusive undercard stream on ESPN+ (7:30 p.m. ET).
 
“I like staying active and putting on a show for the fans,” said Rodriguez, who is trained by the legendary Freddie Roach. “You’ve seen two big knockouts from me inside the ‘Bubble,’ and I don’t see my third fight being any different.”
 
Rodriguez (8-0-1, 8 KOs), like many of his nation’s sporting heroes, started on the baseball diamond. He soon found out he enjoyed fighting more than pitching and hitting, and thus began his ring journey. Following a successful amateur career in his homeland, he turned pro in November 2018 and signed with Top Rank early the following year. Apart from a headbutt-induced technical draw, Rodriguez has knocked out every opponent he’s faced. He made his “Bubble” debut July 2 and knocked out Danny Murray with a power jab in the opening round. Nineteen days later, he stopped Dennis Okoth with a left cross in the second round. Wilson (9-2, 6 KOs), from Fairmont, W.V., has won four fights in a row and has yet to be knocked out as a pro.
 
The Ramirez-Postol undercard also features:

• Unbeaten 20-year-old junior lightweight prospect Chris Zavala (6-0, 3 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time since last September and will fight Anthony Chavez (8-1, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder. Zavala, from Long Beach, Calif., turned pro under the Top Rank banner in June 2018 after going 136-9 as an amateur.
   
• Bantamweight prospect Gabriel Muratalla (4-0, 3 KOs), the fighting preschool teacher who is 2-0 inside the “Bubble,” will face fellow unbeaten Justice Bland (2-0) in a four-rounder. Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (9-0, 7 KOs), Gabriel’s younger brother, will fight the battle-tested Cesar Valenzuela (15-6-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder at lightweight.
   
• Milwaukee-born southpaw Javier Martinez (1-0), who now trains with Robert Garcia, will fight Rance Ward (4-1-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round middleweight bout. Martinez made his pro debut inside the “Bubble” July 14.
   
• Ernesto Mercardo, an amateur standout who was recently the lightweight runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Trials, will make his professional debut in a four-round lightweight bout against an opponent to be named.
   

Use the hashtag #RamirezPostol to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 
 
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

LAS VEGAS (August 6, 2020) — Ramirez-Postol, Take 3! The long-awaited showdown between WBC/WBO junior welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez and former world champion and WBC mandatory challenger Viktor “The Iceman” Postol will take place at the MGM Grand Conference Center Saturday, Aug. 29.
 
Ramirez and Postol were set to fight February 2 in China and May 9 in Fresno, Calif., but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both were subsequently canceled. This time, they will enter the “Bubble.
 
In the 10-round junior welterweight co-feature, unbeaten contender Arnold Barboza Jr., from South El Monte, Calif., will fight Canadian veteran Tony “Lightning” Luis in his toughest test to date. Ramirez-Postol and Barboza-Luis will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m ET, with undercard action to stream live at 7:30 p.m. ET.
 
“Jose has stayed in the gym with his great trainer, Robert Garcia, throughout the pandemic,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “I have no doubt we will see the best version of Jose Ramirez, a wonderful young man and one of the world’s best fighters. He will need to be on his game because Postol is a worthy contender who has proven himself at the world-class level.”
 
Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) enters the fight coming off a career-high 13-month layoff. Last July, he knocked out Maurice Hooker to unify the WBC and WBO titles and stake his claim as the world’s best 140-pounder. Since winning the vacant WBC title against Amir Imam in March 2018, Ramirez defeated the previously undefeated Antonio Orozco, top contender Jose Zepeda and Hooker. The Orozco and Zepeda title defenses took place in front of more than 10,000 fans at Fresno’s Save Mart Center, a short drive from his hometown of Avenal.
 
During the early stages of the pandemic, Ramirez teamed up with Central Valley community leaders to assist the region’s agricultural workers. With Ramirez leading the way, they donated essential supplies and more than 1,000 wellness boxes, which included N95 masks, paper towels, toilet paper, rice, masa, beans and hand sanitizer. Ramirez now turns his focus to Postol (31-2, 12 KOs), a former WBC world champion whose only two losses have come against current IBF/WBA junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor and pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford. Postol has won two bouts since the Taylor defeat, most recently topping Mohamed Mimoune via decision last April in Las Vegas.
 
“I’m excited to finally be back. It’s always an honor stepping into the ring, fighting a guy like Postol and defending my belts,” Ramirez said. “God knows that my goal is to become the undisputed champion, and this gets me one step closer to my goal.”
 
Postol said, “I’m just looking forward to fighting. I’m coming to win those world titles. I have been training since this fight was first announced, so I’m focused and ready to go.”
 
Barboza Jr. (23-0, 10 KOs) makes his 2020 debut following a 2019 campaign that saw him climb the world rankings with three statement-making wins. He knocked out former world champion Mike Alvarado on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Anthony Crolla undercard at Staples Center, stopped veteran Ricky Sismundo in four rounds at Banc of California Stadium, and scored a body shot knockout over William Silva last November in Las Vegas. Barboza is currently ranked eighth by the WBC and 10th by the WBO at 140 pounds. 
 
“Tony Luis is as tough as they come. He won’t lay down for me. He sees this as a big opportunity, and I can’t let him take it,” Barboza said. “To be honest, the whole no fans thing, I’m more curious than anything. I’ve fought in front of limited fans deep on undercards before. Once you’re in the ring, there’s no difference. I am happy to be part of this ‘Bubble’ experience because it will go down in history.”
 
Luis (29-3, 10 KOs), from Cornwall, Canada, is a volume puncher with a knack for upsetting undefeated fighters. Since 2014, he has taken the ‘0’ from three then-unbeaten prospects, including a nationally televised decision over Karl Dargan in January 2015. Luis has won 10 consecutive fights since an April 2015 decision loss to Derry Matthews for an interim lightweight world title in Matthews’ hometown of Liverpool, England.
 
Luis said, “I want to thank Top Rank and my promoter, Liveco Boxing, for this amazing opportunity. I’m proud of myself for not giving up throughout all the uncertainty over the past several months. I knew this pandemic would be a test of character, and I forced myself to stay dedicated, knowing that if an opportunity arose, I’d be ready to strike. I have not lost in over five years, I’m in the best shape in my life, and I feel that Arnold Barboza Jr. is the perfect opponent to showcase my skills and take my career to the next level. Everyone dreams of fighting in Las Vegas. On August 29, my dream will come true, and I plan to make the most of this opportunity. For a small-town kid, we proved a lot of people wrong. Let’s get it on.”
 
Use the hashtag #RamirezPostol to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

DETROIT, MI (May 26, 2020) – Undefeated Super Lightweight World Champion, Jose Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs), who is promoted by Top Rank, will be the featured guest on this week’s edition of “Stars and Champions”, airing this Friday, May 29, 2020, on the Impact Network. Veteran boxing writer Dan Rafael will host the 30-minute broadcast beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT.

Ramirez captured the WBC Super Lightweight title when he defeated Amir Ahmed Imam (22-3, 19 KOs) in March of 2017. He defended his WBC title twice in 2018 winning by unanimous decision against Antonio Orozco (28-2, 17 KOs), and by majority decision against Jose Zepeda (31-2, 25 KOs). In 2019 he won a unification bout against WBO champion Maurice Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs), becoming a two-time world champion. Ramirez is the current WBC and WBO Super Lightweight champion.

The Impact Network will air “Stars and Champions” across all major cable, satellite, and digital channels. Impact is now broadcasting 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and can be viewed on DIRECTV’s Channel 380 or Channel 268, DISH Network’s Channel 268, Fios TV Channel 787, and Comcast’s Xfinity TV’s Channel 400. In addition, Impact Network can be viewed digitally on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, and Sling. “Stars and Champions” can also be viewed on the Impact Network website and mobile app. Please check local listings in your area for more information.

(April 13, 2020) — WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez is staying ready. The 2012 U.S. Olympian has not fought since knocking out Maurice Hooker last July in a title unification bout. He was supposed to fight Viktor Postol Feb. 2 in China (Feb. 1 prime time in the U.S.), but it became the first major bout to be impacted by COVID-19. The May 9 makeup date in Fresno also fell by the wayside. 
 
Ramirez is self-quarantining with his family in California’s Central Valley, but he is awaiting the call for the third — and hopefully final — Postol fight date.
 
He recently spoke with Top Rank’s Crystina Poncher. This is what he had to say.
 
CP: How have you dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic?
 
JR: “Obviously it’s the second time my fight gets postponed. There’s a lot of frustration there because of the sacrifices we go through. I’ve been training for the same fight since November. I trained through the holidays, which is always difficult.
 
“Me having my boy, I want to spend as much time with him now that he’s getting older by the second. It’s hard. I had a plan for 2020, just like any other fighter. I had a plan to fight three times. I was happy that I was going to start early and hopefully move to the {welterweight} division next year. It throws me off. It sets me back. Everything happens for a reason, I believe. Right now, we just have to stay safe. We have to go through this crisis.”
 
CP: How do you keep yourself from feeling defeated after going through two training camps {without a fight}?
 
JR: “I’m just staying focused. I’m staying optimistic with everything, with doctors, with everyone, the first responders. I think everyone is working hard to get together to go through this fast and get everything back to normal. Right now, I believe this is something that requires everyone to be on the same page, to really practice {self-isolation} so we can stop the spread of this virus.
 
“I do know that my fight will be one of the first fights back when all this is over.”
 
CP: Once the Postol fight is rescheduled, would you like to try and stay at 140 pounds and get more belts or is a move up to 147 imminent?
 
JR: “I owe it to myself to fight for all the belts just because if I were to go up to the next weight class, people will still doubt who the best 140-pounder is, just because there is another guy with two belts (WBA/IBF world champion Josh Taylor}. There are some other fighters that I didn’t get to face at 140. I really want to prove a lot of people wrong. I want to do it for myself. I know I can be the best 140 in the world. I know I can see myself with all four belts. It’s just a matter of time, and once I do that, I think that’s going to put my name more out there worldwide. It’s going to definitely make a stronger impact when I do move to 147 knowing that the undisputed champion at 140 is moving up to 147. I think that’s going to make more noise.”
 
CP: Any interest in WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford?
 
JR: “I’ll take any route that leads me to fight for a world title. Crawford is an excellent fighter, so yeah, I would definitely be honored to share the ring with him. I think I’ll show him something new. I think I’ll bring something out of him. By the time I do make that decision to move to 147 and put that extra muscle on me, on my body, I’ll be a much stronger Jose Ramirez. I can see myself developing into a better welterweight than super lightweight. I do have the height. I do have the body frame. I think once I put the extra seven pounds on, it’s going to be a huge difference in a very positive way.
 
“After Crawford, I plan to stay in the welterweight division for quite a while, definitely fight all the top names out there and see how I do. I think I have what it takes to stay at this level of competition for a long time.”
 
CP: Would you ever be up for a fight with Regis Prograis down the line?
 
JR: “Definitely. I think if the fight with Regis takes place, it might take place at 147, though, because I have (super lightweight} fights lined up. I really want to move up after that.”

(March 31, 2020) — Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez’s scheduled May 9 title defense against Viktor Postol at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., has been postponed.

The rescheduled bout will take place at Save Mart Center, and tickets for the May 9 event will be valid for the rescheduled date. Ramirez and Postol were originally scheduled to fight Feb. 2 in China (Feb. 1 in the U.S), but when COVID-19 escalated in China, the bout was moved stateside.

“I feel terribly for Jose and Viktor, who have entered two training camps, only to see the fight postponed both times,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “They are consummate professionals, and they will give the great Fresno fans a memorable fight whenever it occurs. We owe it to Jose and Viktor to make this fight happen as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

Said Ramirez: “I’m focused and will stay training and ready. Our nation’s safety must come first. We will all get through this.”

FRESNO, Calif. (March. 9, 2020) — It took a little longer than expected, but WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez, the pride of California’s Central Valley, is set to return. Ramirez will defend his titles against mandatory challenger and former world champion Viktor “The Iceman” Postol Saturday, May 9 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, a short drive from Ramirez’s hometown of Avenal. Ramirez and Postol were set to fight Feb. 1 in China, but the bout was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ramirez-Postol and a 10-round super lightweight battle between former two-weight world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza and surging 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier “El Intocable” Molina will be televised LIVE on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10 p.m. ET, with the undercard bouts scheduled to stream in English and Spanish on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with TGB Promotions, tickets priced at $206, $131, $96, $66 and $31 go on sale Tuesday, March 10 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased at the Save Mart Center box office, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

“We are pleased that Ramirez and Postol will finally fight May 9 from the great city of Fresno,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Viktor is a worthy mandatory challenger who earned his title shot, and Jose will be fully prepared to make a statement. And for Jose, this could be his last fight in Fresno for a long time, so I expect the Central Valley faithful to fill up the Save Mart Center for a special evening.”

Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) is one of two unified junior welterweight champions. He won the WBC world title in March 2018, prevailing via 12-round shootout against Amir Imam in New York City. He defended that belt twice before stepping up to fight Maurice Hooker in a highly anticipated title unification bout. In one of the best fights of 2019, Ramirez knocked out Hooker in six rounds. A 2012 U.S. Olympian, Ramirez has headlined at Save Mart Center five times previously and has drawn a total of 65,794 fans through the arena’s turnstiles. Last time he fought at Save Mart Center — February 2019 against Jose Zepeda — he drew a career-high turnout of 14,034.

“It is always a blessing to fight at Save Mart Center in front of my loyal fans,” Ramirez said. “I prepared for Postol once, and I will be in top form May 9. My trainer, Robert Garcia, will have me ready for whatever he brings to the table. He is a former world champion who I cannot underestimate.” 

Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) has spent the majority of his 12-year career as a super lightweight and nearly a decade at, or near, the top of the division. He stunned the boxing world in October 2015 when he dethroned Lucas Matthysse via 10th-round KO to win the WBC world title. In his next fight, he was blunted over 12 rounds by Terence Crawford in a unification bout. He is 3-1 since the Crawford defeat, dropping a 2018 decision to Josh Taylor, who is now the division’s other unified champion. He earned the WBC’s mandatory shot at Ramirez in April with a unanimous decision over Mohamed Mimoune.

“I am glad the new fight date is set. I’m already in gym, and camp is going really well,” Postol said. “I was ready to fight on Feb. 1 and now I’m focused on May 9. The fight is taking place in his hometown, but that does not bother me because I have the experience to fight on away soil. I am looking forward to become a champion again.”

Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs), from Cidra, Puerto Rico, held the IBF junior lightweight world title from 2015-2017 and then upset Ray Beltran in August 2018 to capture the WBO lightweight world title. He came up short in a valiant effort against Vasiliy Lomachenko in a toe-to-toe unification bout in December 2018 before knocking out Antonio Lozada Jr. in nine rounds the following May. Pedraza then moved up to 140 pounds last September and was outboxed by southpaw spoiler Jose Zepeda. He’s taking another shot as a super lightweight, this time against Molina (22-2, 9 KOs), a native of Norwalk, Calif. Molina, winner of five in a row, is coming off a pair of signature victories.

Last November, he knocked out Japanese veteran Hiroki Okada in just 65 seconds in an ESPN-televised co-feature. He followed that up with gritty eight-round decision over Imam on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder II undercard.

“This May 9 fight against Javier Molina will be crucial for my career. This is a crossroads fight, and I will do everything in my power to return to the winning route against a world-class opponent,” Pedraza said. “I know Molina very well. I saw him fight while we were at the 2008 Olympics in China. He is coming off a couple of big wins and is looking for a world title shot at 140. I’m also looking for a world title shot at super lightweight, and that makes this fight a significant and interesting one. I’m working extremely hard because I know that to get a world title opportunity, I can’t have another loss on my record. I will get a big win against Javier Molina on May 9, and after that, the ‘Sniper’ will aim for a world title at 140.”

“I’m happy to get right back in the ring with another tough opponent. With a win over Pedraza, I feel like it should definitely set me up for a title shot next,” Molina said. “I’m excited to be on ESPN once again and continue to get that exposure. I’m just ready to go. 2020 will be my year.”

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(Jan. 23, 2020) — Jose Ramirez’s WBC/WBO junior welterweight world title defense against former world champion Viktor “The Iceman” Postol — originally scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN from Mission Hills Haikou in Hainan, China on Saturday, Feb. 1 — has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.
 
 The Ramirez-Postol bout will be contested at a date and venue to be determined.
 
 “The health and safety of our fighters and everyone working on the event is the most important thing,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We hope the situation is brought under control soon. We look forward to staging events at Mission Hills Haikou in the very near future.”