Jose Ramirez was fortunate to leave the ring with his junior welterweight titles Saturday in Las Vegas.
Viktor Postol, the wily veteran from Ukraine, gave an inspired performance to push one of the top young stars to his limits but ultimately fell just short of scoring a major upset in the MGM Grand “bubble.”
Ramirez, relying as much on grit as skill, won a majority decision to retain his two belts and potentially set up a unification bout with Josh Taylor.
Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) performed particularly well in the first five rounds, using his long, stiff jab, occasional combinations and fleet feet to frustrate an aggressive, but relatively ineffective Ramirez.
However, by the sixth round, Ramirez, grasping the urgency of the moment, raised his level of aggressiveness and climbed back into the fight. Suddenly, with Ramirez firing to his head and body with ferocity, it was more difficult for Postol to jab, throw power shots and move.
Still, Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) was never able to take firm control of the fight. Postol continued to fight his fight, continued to land telling blows and continued to be an elusive target.
The challenger fought Ramirez on even terms in the final three rounds, when it seemed as if the fight was up for grabs. In the end, two of the judges apparently favored Ramirez’s aggression and power punching to Postol’s effective boxing.
Judge Dave Moretti scored the fight 114-114 but Tim Cheatham and Steve Weisfeld had it 115-113 and 116-112, respectively, for Ramirez. Boxing Junkie scored it 114-114.
By comparison, Taylor defeated Postol by a unanimous decision in June 2018. The scores were 119-108, 118-110 and 117-110.
Of course, that has no bearing on how Ramirez and Taylor would fare against one another. They’ll most likely get the opportunity to unify all four 140-pound titles if Taylor gets past Apinun Khongsong on Sept. 26.
Meanwhile, Postol, a former junior welterweight titleholder, proved at 36 that he can still fight at an elite level. He obviously will be heard from again.