JOSE RAMIREZ SPEAKS
Jose Ramirez is defying his farming roots but, as Chris Walker discovers, they will always inspire the WBC super-lightweight champion
Catching up with the man who could be next for Scottish star Josh Taylor
THE children of Avenal don’t grow up to become boxers. The Central California town, an hour away from Fresno, is a close community with agriculture providing employment for many of the region’s natives. And while Jose Ramirez inherited the farming expertise of his father, Carlos, boxing that persuaded him to take a different path to his ancestors. “I worked the farms, two summers, and it was hard,” reveals the WBC super-lightweight boss, talking to Boxing News after an afternoon training session ahead of Saturday’s (July 7) clash with Danny O’connor. “I’ve respected my dad from the moment I can remember, but when you put yourself through what he’s been putting himself through for so many years then you realise just how much hard work he put in to help raise a family. Two summers, 10- to 12-hour days, every single day, and I felt it everywhere on my body. This is the work my dad has put in for so many years.”
An athletic child, Ramirez was proficient at both soccer and baseball, but the seasonal restrictions of those sports led him to the boxing gym. Although a farming life still beckoned for the teenage Ramirez, fighting was providing him with the same reassuring comfort that the fields of Avenal did to his father.
“My first fight, they gave me this big trophy, and that got me sucked in,” reflects a gleeful Ramirez as he recalls his first contest like a hot date. “After that I just kept winning and with every win came more opportunity. I got the chance to go onto the USA team pretty young and they selected me for the Olympic Games over in London [2012]. I was still very young but being around an event like that with some of the names that were there meant a whole lot to me, and I knew I was on the way to a very good boxer.”
While names such as Anthony Joshua, Vasyl Lomachenko, Oleksandr Usyk and Errol Spence Jnr all sprinted to success after those Games, Ramirez was forced to take his time. His moment for launch came in 2017, when a demolition of fellow Top Rank prospect, Mike Reed, catapulted Ramirez into the consciousness of boxing fans; what was predicted to be a close contest was decided by the Californian’s ferociousness inside two rounds.
“Reed, oh my God, that fight was a turning point for sure,” says the
25-year-old about that Fresno clash. “It was okay just coming along on the quiet, but I knew, and those close to me knew, what I was capable of once the opportunities came along. There was a lot riding on that Reed fight because the winner was going onto something big, and that’s exactly how it played out for me.”
Ramirez’s reward for his cold destruction of Reed came in the shape of useful New Yorker, Amir Imam, this past St Patrick’s Day inside the basement at Madison Square Garden. The vacant WBC title at 140lbs was at stake and Ramirez was in no mood to let such a cherished chance pass him by. His performance, both classy and clinical, earned him mass approval from those in attendance including the ringside judges. The small town farming boy became Avenal’s favourite son.
“They were there in force for me when I beat Mike Reed, did you hear them? It’s a shame that they all couldn’t make it out to New York for my fight with Amir, but I know they’ve got me whenever I fight, and it’s so important that I keep winning because that allows me to give back to my family and give back to my town. That fight meant so much more than just the world title, it was the chance to do something positive for people who have always been there for me.”
This weekend, Ramirez will make his first title defence against Boston’s O’connor back in Fresno. The 33-year-old challenger will start as a huge underdog but in Ramirez’s eyes, this is no hometown gimme.
“I’ve come too far to not be professional about everything that I do in this sport. Danny O’connor will hopefully give me a challenge that I can overcome, but I know how good I’m capable of being and if I turn up like the way I’ve been preparing then nobody will be taking my belt
WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT JOSH TAYLOR? A FIGHT BETWEEN US IS EXACTLY WHAT BOXING NEEDS
from me. This sport just doesn’t allow me to become a champion and make good money, it motivates me to be something special for my family and my people.”
Away from his exhausting training sessions with legendary mentor, Freddie Roach, Ramirez continues to support the farming and water issues throughout middle California. Cheques have been donated to the San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority courtesy of gate income and other fundraisers at Ramirez fight nights.
So with the super-lightweight division opening up in front of him, Ramirez is keen to take his career and family to the next level.
“It’s quite daunting what lies ahead, but these are the reasons why I’m in boxing because I want to fight the best possible contenders and see how good I can really be. I look around and see good names, but when you look at each fighter as well, you realise just how much talent is available now at 140lbs. Regis Prograis is a fighter I admire, then you have Maurice Hooker who has just become WBO champion in the UK,” observes Ramirez before focusing on a certain Scotsman. “Then you have Josh Taylor, what can I say about him? A fight between me and him down the line is exactly what boxing needs.”
What was once a silent climb from Olympic campaigner to world champion is now growing louder with each fight.
“I’ve just got to carry on being me and to keep winning, and if I do that then who knows where it will ll take me. I want a super fight sometime real soon and if Manny Pacquiao can win his next fight [against Lucas Matthysse] then that is something I’d love to put my all into. That is a fight that my team have had some small talk about, but if it become a reality then I promise to give a legend like Manny the respect he deserves and give the fight my all. There are plenty of other fighters out there for me, but Pacquiao would be something else.”
Such achievements are alien to the small population of Avenal, but Ramirez will always be loyal to his roots and thankful to one man.
“It’s all for my father,” proclaims Ramirez. “The goal for me is not just in boxing, it’s what I can achieve for when my career is over and what I can do for my father and family. I’m looking at ways to give my father his own land, some acres where he can do his own thing and give him and the family a place that they can be in charge of. That’s a big goal of mine and that is something that can be achieved through my boxing career.”