Jose Ramirez believes his loss to Josh Taylor last May will have made him a better fighter.
Ramirez went down twice against the talented Scot, which proved to be the difference in an otherwise closely contested fight for all four 140-pound titles at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. It was his first loss.
He returns to the ring for the first time against veteran Jose Pedraza on Friday in Fresno, California, which is near Ramirez’s hometown of Avenal.
“The loss against Taylor taught me a lot,” he said after a recent workout with trainer Robert Garcia in Riverside, California. “It was the first of my career, and I feel like it brought back my hunger for boxing again. … I have corrected the mistakes that I made in that fight against Taylor. Maybe I had been making them for a long time, but when you are winning all your fights, you do not always look at the mistakes.
“I had a hard time accepting it, but I’ve already turned the page. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Ramirez (26-1 17 KOs) didn’t say after the workout what mistakes he made against Taylor. However, he gave an example immediately after the fight: He didn’t protect himself when he exited clinches, which allowed Taylor to put him down the second time.
He expects to be smarter in general going forward, which he believes will make him a champion again.
“I am ready to return to the top of the division,” he said. “I know that I am one of the best fighters at 140 pounds. I want to regain my titles and win all of the belts. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a rematch against Taylor, challenging another champion, or in a vacant title match against another top contender. I want my titles back.”
Pedraza (29-3, 14 KOs) might have something to say about that.
The former Olympian and two-division professional titleholder from Puerto Rico has momentum. He got off to a poor start after transitioning to 140 pounds, losing a decision to Jose Zepeda, but he has won three consecutive fights since. That includes an eighth-round knockout of Julian Rodriguez in June of last year, his most-recent fight.
Ramirez certainly isn’t facing a pushover in his comeback fight.
“Jose Pedraza is a tough test,” Ramirez said. He is a very good fighter and has looked good since he adjusted to the 140-pound division. I want to earn another shot at the title. I am not one to talk much. I come to face the best and let my performances in the ring speak for themselves.
“I hope that Pedraza comes well prepared. I want to face the best version of José Pedraza so we can give the fans another classic fight between Mexico and Puerto Rico.”
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