Will the Real Junior Welterweight Please Stand Up
By Eddie Sanchez
It can’t be stressed enough, 2021 is starting off guns-a-blazing and looks to continue on its promising trend moving forward. While there are potential fights like Errol Spence Jr.-vs-Terence Crawford that may prove to stay in the potential phase for some time, there are more than a couple weight classes pushing towards crowning an Undisputed Champion.
The most prominently known are Canelo Alvarez’s on-going goals to gain the last two belts he needs in the Super Middleweight division and the potential Tyson Fury-vs-Anthony Joshua fight that seems so close to being confirmed. Beyond these two endeavors which involve arguably the two most popular fighters in the world, Canelo and Joshua respectively, there is another division that is sitting well and has every boxing fan itching to see their questions answered.
That of course is the Junior Welterweight division, which currently has two-top-dogs at the moment in Josh Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs – WBA, IBF, The Ring) and Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs – WBC, WBO). If the rumors prove to be true, we will have an Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion in four short months.
Both Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez are standing in the primes of their careers at 30 and 28 years of age respectively. The Scottish-bread fighter has an extensive amateur career which includes a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, while Jose Ramirez has the leg-up in professional experience. Given that both are aligned with Top Rank & ESPN, we fortunately do not have any of the typical political hurdles as an excuse to keep us from seeing this fight.
Reviewing their professional resumes, although Jose Ramirez has nine more bouts, it appears as though Josh Taylor has defeated the better competition. Some notable opponents for Jose Ramirez include Maurice Hooker and Jose Zepeda, while Josh Taylor’s foe list includes Regis Prograis and Ivan Baranchyk. In addition to those four men, the two rivals share the always tough Viktor Postal, which Josh Taylor beat more convincingly by way of UD compared to Jose’s MD victory.
Of course, one cannot simply deduce a victor based on resumes. Plans change at a moment and anything can happen in the ring. While both men stand a 5’10”, Jose Ramirez carries a three inch reach advantage. This can prove to be significant, but Josh Taylor is the naturally stockier man. It appears we have a true toss-em fight on our hands and the boxing media and fans alike can not be more pleased.
Josh Taylor is a classic throwback style fighter who has no issues coming forward with his head down as he fires a barrage of hooks and uppercuts. That’s not to say he is limited however; he doesn’t potshot like most head-down fighters, he has excellent boxing skills and can offer blistering combinations to handle opponents.
If you are to ask former foe Regis Prograis, he’ll let you know: “I got Taylor,” said Prograis to iFL TV when asked to pick the winner between Josh Taylor vs. Jose Ramirez unification fight.
“The only thing about Taylor, he has [too much courage], and if he has that, it may work against him. With Taylor, I fought him. He’s big, he’s strong, and he’s good on the inside. But if he tries to do that against Ramirez, I don’t know how it’ll pan out. I’ve never been in the ring with Ramirez. I don’t know how strong he is, but I think if Josh Taylor tries to box him, he should do it easy. As a southpaw, he’s tall, he’s a long, rangy southpaw.”
On the Ramirez-side, his camp has been fairly quiet. If you are pro-Taylor as I am, one can speculate that he may be less confident behind the scenes than Taylor is, who is very loud at the moment.
Ramirez is a very entertaining fighter with a classic-Mexican style. He shows no regard for defense, but ferociously attacks his opponents as they leave openings from attacking him. If this is the style he carries into the unification fight, I believe Josh Taylor may beat him convincingly.
While sharing some bias, star Lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez shares similar feelings. “I want Josh Taylor to win because Ramirez ain’t gonna fight me. He is going to 147. I still think Josh Taylor will win, he is a better boxer.”
In a fight of this magnitude when rivals will likely be more risk-averse than ever before, the smart bet is to stick with the better boxer. If Teofimo Lopez is correct and Josh Taylor is victorious, then there will be a lot of happy boxing fans out there.
Regardless of the outcome, I am hoping for an all-out action fight. Let’s give the people what they want and set-up and superfight with Teofimo Lopez as he looks to move up in weight.
What are your predictions for this fight?
