Emotion spills over between Ramirez and Taylor on eve of historic showdown

Undisputed junior welterweight world championship at stake

Throughout most of the promotion of their undisputed junior welterweight championship fight, Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor were cordial, courteous and complimentary toward each other. But as calm and cool as they each have been, everything spilled over on Friday afternoon.

First, there was an intense, trash talking-filled face-to-face staredown that needed Taylor trainer Ben Davison to end by stepping in between them after each weighed in at 139.6 pounds.

That was followed by an ugly altercation between the fighters soon after near an elevator bank at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, where they will square off in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET with prelims exclusively on ESPN+ beginning at 4:45 p.m. ET).

With their teams crossing paths, Taylor approached Ramirez and shoved him, igniting a scuffle that really upset the typically mild-mannered Ramirez.

“This fight ain’t going the distance, for sure. I’ll do what I got to do to end it early. No matter what happens I’m gonna try to hurt him,” Ramirez said after the incident. “There’s never been a fight where I’ve actually tried to hurt someone. Even if break my hands, then I’ll break my hands in his face. I have no respect for that guy. There’s no need for that. We’re gonna fight (Saturday).”

So much for all the good feelings, though understandable considering how much is at stake.

They are clearly the two best 140-pounders in the world. They are both undefeated, they each hold two of the major sanctioning organization belts and they have a deep amateur pedigree as 2012 Olympians. It’s about as good of a pure fight as can be made in boxing today.

Further, they embraced fighting each other for division supremacy without the usual drama associated with making a major fight. They know how hard it was for each to get to this pinnacle of boxing, a rare-four belt unification fight that will stamp the winner as the king of the weight class, no questions asked.

"I'm very excited. Now at the end of this pandemic, we have the best fight of the whole pandemic experience,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “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.”

The winner will become just the fifth male fighter of the four-belt era to be an undisputed world champion, joining join a club that includes cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk (2018), junior welterweight Terrence Crawford (2017) and middleweights Jermain Taylor (2005) and Bernard Hopkins (2004).

The prospect of making history and joining such an exclusive group is very meaningful to Taylor, the favorite, and Ramirez.

“This fight to me means the world. It’s a massive piece of history for both of us,” said Taylor, who spent the final month of his training camp in Las Vegas to make sure he was fully adjusted to the time change and weather. “For myself to become the first undisputed champion from Scotland in the four-belt era, the first undisputed champion since my fellow countryman Ken Buchanan is a massive, massive piece of history.”

Buchanan, an International Boxing Hall of Famer, is a revered boxing figure in Scotland. He became the undisputed lightweight world champion in 1971.

“I’m on the cusp of achieving something great and going down as potentially a Hall of Famer. It’s huge for me, this fight.” — Josh Taylor

“This really, really cements my name in British boxing history, in Scottish boxing history as an all-time great,” Taylor said of what a victory would mean. “So, this really cements my name in the history books and having a legacy as a great fighter. It means a lot to me, this fight. It means everything to me. I’ve prepared so well and so long and so hard for this fight and I’m on the cusp of achieving something great and going down as potentially a Hall of Famer. It’s huge for me, this fight. I can’t express enough how important this fight is to me. It’s a massive fight.

“I couldn’t be any more prepared, mentally or physically. It’s just another day at the office on Saturday. I’m totally confident in this fight. I’ve seen holes in his game I think I can exploit. I think he’s vulnerable, full stop. I think he’s going to be quite easy to find. I don’t think I’m going to have to go looking for him. I know his style is to come forward, so it’s got the makings to be an absolute barn burner fight because he comes to fight and I come to fight.”

Ramirez, who is trained by Robert Garcia and has been with Top Rank for his entire career, also is motivated by what a victory would mean for his legacy.

“This is a historical fight for me. This could open up the doors to the Hall of Fame for me in the future. This is a big fight for me.” — Jose Ramirez

“This is a fight that will bring a lot of glory to myself, to my family and it’s going to make me the first Mexican-American fighter to be undisputed champion in the history of boxing. This is a historical fight for me,” Ramirez said. “This could open up the doors to the Hall of Fame for me in the future. This is a big fight for me. It’s a fight that not only brings glory to the Mexican people but also to the hard-working immigrants in the United States.

“I think it would be a beautiful moment, a beautiful experience (to become the first Mexican-American undisputed champion). Right now I can’t even imagine how it will be. But as soon as it happens I know it will hit me. I’m going to share that moment and bring that happiness to all my people. I really hope that they are happy with my performance and that they are very proud of me. It would be an honor and a blessing.”

Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs), a 30-year-old southpaw, will be making his third title defense. He won the IBF belt by outpointing Ivan Baranchyk in the World Boxing Super Series semifinals in May 2019 and then outpointed Regis Prograis to take the WBA title in the tournament final in October 2019. Last September, he made a mandatory defense, knocking out Apinun Khongsong in the first round in London in his first fight after signing with Top Rank.

Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), 28, of Avenal, California, will be making his fifth title defense. He won the vacant WBC title by clear decision over Amir Imam in 2018 and after decision wins against Antonio Orozco and Jose Zepeda, Ramirez knocked out Maurice Hooker in the sixth round to add the IBF title to his collection in July 2019. Ramirez is coming off a majority decision over former titlist Viktor Postol — whom Taylor also owns a decision win against — in a mandatory defense on Aug. 29 in Las Vegas.

Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank