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Mexico Has Semi Stake in Taylor-Ramirez Unification By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Wed, 12 May 2021  Although he is already an American being born and raised in California, Jose Ramirez is of full Mexican stock, his parents both from South of the border. By virtue of this, Mexico has some stake in his forthcoming four-title world light welterweight unification bout to be held on May 22 in Las Vegas versus fellow Olympian, UK's Josh Taylor. This is not lost to boxing fans particularly from Mexico and the UK coming as it will come merely three weeks after Saul Canelo Alvarez beat Briton, Billy Joe Saunders, snatching his WBO super middleweight crown and adding it to his unified WBC and WBA belts which he won by defeating another UK lad, Callum Smith last year. Fights between top fighters from UK and Mexico are not as historically popular as rivalries between Mexican fighters versus those from Puerto Rico, Japan and the Philippines. However, in the recent times many have been competitively riveting or acrimonious as the Leo Santacruz vs Carl Frampton and Andy Ruiz vs Anthony Joshua fights that necessitated immediate rematches. It has also been decades since a Mexican, or in the case of Ramirez, Mexican blooded, and British fighter dominated the 140 lbs roost talking of Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr in the late 80s, early 90s and Ricky Hatton in the late 90s and early 2000s. Unfortunately, those chaps or hombres never got to meet each other inside the square arena. Chavez was defeated by Oscar de la Hoya, a Yanqui of Mexican lineage and thoroughly roughed up and thrashed by Russian Aussie Kostya Tzsyu from whom Hatton wrested the throne. Therefore, this could the closest to a major konfrontasi between top fighters from UK and Mexico or with Mexican lineage in or around the light welterweight since the John Stracey-Jose Napoles and Stracey-Carlos Palomino welterweight matchups in the 1970s. Of course, it could be recalled that Lloyd Honeygan and Jorge Vaca fought twice in title fights at welterweight in the late 80s but the first fight was attended by controversy with Vaca winning by technical decision on account of injury he suffered through alleged headbutt by the Briton while the rematch saw Honeygan regaining his crown by early knockout. Therefore, boxing fans worldwide will be treated to the nearest version of a quality, high profile duel between top fighters from the UK and with Mexican blood on May 22 as unified WBA super and IBF as well as Ring Magazine lineal world light welterweight champion Josh Taylor collides with unified WBC and WBO titlist Jose Ramirez for all the marbles at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ramírez became a unified champion after defeating Maurice Hooker via TKO in July 2019, retaining his WBC title (held since 2018) and capturing Hooker's WBO version. After successfully defending his titles against the WBC's mandatory Victor Postol, he was supposed to defend against his WBO mandatory Jack Catteral who agreed to step aside to give way to Ramirez unification versus Taylor with him facing the winner. Taylor captured his unified titles in 2019 as part of the World Boxing Super Series or WBSS tournament, outpointing IBF champion Ivan Baranchyk in May and the WBA super belt by close decision over Regis Prograis in October, winning the vacant Ring title in the process. After nearly a year out of the ring, Taylor successfully retained his titles against the IBF's mandatory challenger, Apinun Khongsong via first-round KO in September 2020. Last October, it was announced that Catterall had agreed to a "step-aside deal", with the promise of a chance to fight the winner of a proposed Ramírez vs. Taylor fight which later was officially set for May 22. The main event Taylor vs Ramirez unification fight will be supported by all light welterweight bouts featuring 2020 KO of the Year fight winner Jose Zepeda versus the veteran Hank Lundy in ten rounds for the WBC Silver light welterweight crown, the fast rising Dominican sensation Elvis Rodriguez against American Kenneth Sims,Jr. and Mexican KO artist Lindolfo Delgado versus a yet to be announced opponent, both in 8 rounders. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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