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Photos: Jose Ramirez Grinds Hard For Josh Taylor Unification

Published Mon May 10, 2021, 10:17 PM

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 kingpin. (photos by Top Rank)

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 unified the IBF, WBA titles with his October 2019 decision over Regis Prograis, but on May 22, the sport’s loftiest prize will be on the line.