Josh Taylor v Jose Ramirez: Battle for the undisputed super-lightweight world championship

Josh Taylor, one of Britain’s most accomplished active fighters, will face off against Jose Ramirez for the undisputed super-lightweight world championship this Saturday in Las Vegas.

Taylor has a 76% knockout ratio whilst Ramirez boasts a 65% ratio with nine extra professional fights to his name, and at super-lightweight, both can be heralded as formidable punchers for their weight class. To top it all off, both champions are undefeated in the professional ranks.

Britain’s pound-for-pound #1?

No current British fighter has achieved what Josh Taylor has in his short time as a professional. Making his debut in the United States less than six years ago, Taylor has been on a tear through the super-lightweight division ever since.

He beat former champion Viktor Postol in his 13th fight and fourth defence of the WBC Silver title, before jumping into the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS). It was in the WBSS where Taylor announced himself to the world, knocking out Ryan Martin in the seventh round before punishing Ivan Baranchyk in a 12-round battle to claim the IBF world title.

In October of 2019, Taylor was scheduled to fight Regis Prograis in what would be the final of the WBSS, but more than that, a chance to unify the WBA (Super) and IBF super-lightweight titles.

What followed was no less than a contender for Fight of the Year, as both champions battled fiercely for a chance to unify the division. But it was the Brit who came out on top, deemed by the judges as the more active and spiteful of the two on the night.

Confidence key for Ramirez

Undefeated and seeking the chance to become undisputed, Jose Ramirez has himself unified the division in his last few fights, beating Maurice Hooker to add the WBO belt to his WBC crown, before defending both against former opponent of Taylor, Postol.

With 17 knockouts to his name, Ramirez is dangerous, and the early rounds will be key for earning respect from his opponent, who also likes to trade in the pocket when opportunities present themselves.

The odds, however, are backed in the Brit’s favour, with Taylor priced at 2/5 to take home all the belts by any means, whilst you can back him to win the fight by KO, TKO or DQ at 10/3.

At 2/1, there’s strong value in a Ramirez win, whilst victory by KO, TKO or DQ at 11/2 looks a nice outside bet for this bout.

Check out all the latest boxing betting odds at William Hill