Undefeated junior welterweight champions Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor square off for a 140-pound supremacy at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Saturday, May 22, which makes it Sunday, May 23 in the UK and Australia (start time and how to watch live here). The contest features the reigning WBC and WBO champion up against the current WBA and IBF titleholder in the scheduled for 12 rounds world championship matchup.
The final pre-fight press conference was held earlier today, where both competitors, as well as Top Rank Boxing chairman Bob Arum, previewed the upcoming clash. Check out below what they had to say.
“I’m very excited,” Arum said. “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 looks to become ‘the first Mexican undisputed champion’
Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), who brings his unified WBC and WBO junior welterweight titles to the table, said he was looking to “make history as the first Mexican undisputed champion”. He also said losing was not an option and promised a great fight.
“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 confident in knocking Ramirez out
Josh Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) enters the squared circle holding the unified WBA and IBF junior welterweight belts. He said he dedicated his “whole life to this sport” and is confident in securing the win by knockout.
“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.”
Boxing fans in the US can watch Ramirez vs Taylor live stream on ESPN+. In the UK, Australia and other countries the fight airs live on FITE TV.
The full Ramirez vs Taylor fight card can be found here.
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