Jose Ramirez vs Maurice Hooker unification being discussed

By Scott Christ@scblh1

Badlefthook.com

A 140-pound unification fight between WBC titleholder Jose Ramirez and WBO titleholder Maurice Hooker is being discussed, according to Mike Coppinger, and if a deal gets done, the fight would land on DAZN.

Ramirez (24-0, 16 KO) is a Top Rank fighter and thus has ties with ESPN, but for the right deals and right fights, promoters do show flexibility. And usually “the right deals” are deals that don’t involve their truly prized house fighters — I’m not saying Ramirez isn’t a top fighter for Top Rank, he is, but he’s not at the level of money that prevents them from potentially letting him fight on another platform. That’s kind of the “sweet spot” for fans who want to see good fights across promotional lines.

Ramirez, 26, won the vacant WBC title in March 2018, beating Amir Imam in New York. He’s defended twice, beating Antonio Orozco last September and Jose Zepeda in February.

There was recent talk of Ramirez facing either prospect Arnold Barboza Jr or former lightweight titleholder Ray Beltran, but the Hooker fight is bigger than either of those, and certainly more attractive for fans, so at the very least it’s nice to hear it’s being considered.

Hooker (26-0-3, 17 KO) won the vacant WBO belt in June 2018, going to Manchester, England, to defeat former lightweight titleholder Terry Flanagan. He has also defended his belt twice, beating Alex Saucedo on a Top Rank card last November, and Mikkel LesPierre on DAZN in March.

The 29-year-old Hooker has recently been called out by top Golden Boy prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr for a fight in their shared hometown in Dallas, and has also been linked to Queensberry Promotions contender Jack Catterall.

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