Josh Taylor Beats Jose Ramirez; Improves to 18-0 And Becomes Undisputed Champion

Josh Taylor is the undisputed champion of the junior welterweight division. It took 12 grueling rounds for the two undefeated boxers to unify their titles, but Taylor proved that boxing is better than brawling.

Taylor’s proof did not come without its moments of concern though. While he was able to outpunch José Ramírez in the early rounds, Ramírez’s body work seemed to slow Taylor down in round three. The following rounds would have the two trade body blows to see which man would break first. In round six, Taylor would score the first knock down of the match. Ramirez would call it a “flash knockdown” in the post-bout press conference.

Call it a trip, it seemed more like a punch that caught Ramírez as he pressured forward, but in round seven, breaking away from the inside an uppercut from Taylor would drop Ramirez, which would leave him fighting for survival for the duration of the bout.

This @JoshTaylorBoxer uppercut in Round 7 was felt in the whole venue … 🤯#RamirezTaylor | LIVE NOW on ESPN pic.twitter.com/wJVRzML7eF

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 23, 2021

Before the bout began, Tyson Fury was asked for his analysis of what to expect from the main event, and he predicted it would go all 12 rounds because of how good both competitors were. He would be correct in his prediction, as all three judges would score the match 114-112 for Taylor.

Taylor’s coach, Ben Davison said “The plan was to use Ramírez ’s aggression against him,” and the plan definitely paid off. Taylor told media afterward that he could have made the fight easier had he not engaged Ramírez in trading blows as often as he did, but it was still something that he and his team planned for.

As for what’s next, Taylor said, “We’ll take it and see, just ride the wave.” Although a move to 147 pounds seems to interest him as well.