Jose Ramirez vs. Maurice Hooker: Preview and prediction

Jose Ramirez and Maurice Hooker meet to help settle the landscape of the super lightweight division. The winner will be a unified champion.

Maurice Hooker (26-0-3, 17 KOs) brings his WBO super lightweight title to the table against WBC champion Jose Ramirez (24-0, 16 KOs) on Saturday, July 27, on DAZN. The winner will walk away with two belts and bragging rights in a loaded division.

Hooker won his WBO title in 2018 against the U.K.’s Terry Flanagan by split decision. He has defended it twice since, including an impressive knockout victory over Alex Saucedo in November of 2018.

Ramirez won the WBC belt in March of 2018 against Amir Imam by unanimous decision. He hasn’t had a knockout victory since 2017, but he possesses a wealth of amateur experience. Ramirez was a national amateur champion and won the junior Olympics on two occasions and made it to the Olympics in 2012.

While both Hooker and Ramirez are undefeated, Hooker has three draws on his record with the last one coming in 2016 against Darleys Perez. Hooker’s slightly blemished record, Ramirez’s perfection, and amateur background are reasons why he’s the odds on favorite to win.

According to the Sportsbook Review, Hooker is a slight underdog hovering around +125 odds. The numbers are close, but Ramirez is still the favorite to win.

It should be an interesting contrast of styles. Ramirez is a more skilled boxer who pays attention to fundamentals. He’s not a risk-taker and knows how to invest punches to the body and not headhunt.

Hooker is a wildcard. He’s only one inch taller than Ramirez but boasts an 8-inch reach advantage over Ramirez. Despite the reach advantage, Ramirez is skilled enough to get inside on Hooker. Saucedo was able to get inside of Hooker’s reach in the first two rounds of their fight, but it also made him vulnerable.

Hooker will be weary of Ramirez’s talent and try to keep him on the outside with his jab. He does have some defensive liabilities, but he should be able to use his physicality battle Ramirez to a close decision victory. Look for Hooker to defy the oddsmakers and win this fight.

Also, aiding Hooker is that the fight is taking place near his hometown of Dallas. They are fighting at College Park Center in Arlington, TX. The contest is on DAZN, and they begin streaming the undercard bouts at 7 p.m. ET.

The winner of the Ramirez vs. Hooker bout moves one step closer towards becoming the undisputed super lightweight champion. Regis Prograis and Josh Taylor are expected to fight in October. It will be interesting to see the future of the super lightweight division over the next few months.