Scotland’s Josh Taylor proved he’s the best junior welterweight boxer in the world after defeating Jose Ramirez by unanimous decision in an enthralling light-welterweight unification bout.
Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) scored a pair of crucial knockdowns to seize back the momentum against Jose Ramirez. All three judges had it 114-112 in favor of Taylor, who unified his WBA and IBF titles with the WBC and WBO crowns previously worn by Ramirez.
Josh Taylor shared his thoughts in a post-match interview.
He said, “I 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.”
“We said that all week and that’s what we did. We played the games all week but there is no disrespect and all love. I think he’s a great ambassador for the sport.”
Taylor, who is undefeated in 18 bouts after inflicting Ramirez’s first loss, is just the fifth man in the sport to hold all four belts in a division.
Josh Taylor reacts after knocking down Jose Ramirez during their junior welterweight world unification title fight at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on May 22, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
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Ramirez, embraced Taylor in the ring after the decision was read. This was a far cry from the uncharacteristic volatility between the two fighters during fight week.
Taylor nearly came to blows with Ramirez in the hotel after Friday’s weigh-in. With the trash talk between them continuing at the end of each round.
Taylor, a 30-year-old native of Scotland, became just the second undisputed junior welterweight champion in the four-belt era.
