Jose Ramirez explodes in round 6 to stop Maurice Hooker

Two super lightweight titles were on the line when Jose Ramirez fought Maurice Hooker. Ramirez proved to be the better man and is the division favorite.

On Saturday, July 27, WBO super lightweight champion Maurice Hooker (26-1-3, 17 KOs) met WBC champion Jose Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) in a unification bout on DAZN. In front of Hooker’s home crowd in Arlington, TX, Ramirez proved that he might be the best super lightweight in the world.

Ramirez caught Hooker early in round 1 with a left-right combination. A little more than a minute into the round, Hooker hit the canvas after a Ramirez attack, but he was tripped by Ramirez’s feet.

Hooker got to his feet and wasn’t hurt. He fought well for the remainder of the round, but the lost point hurt him from the start.

In round 2, Hooker landed a left hook at the start. He stayed on the outside and landed both hands at times. Ramirez had a harder time getting inside his reach. When Ramirez did get inside, he invested to the body.

Ramirez trapped Hooker on the ropes for the last minute and scored well. It was a bad spell for Hooker and lost him a round he could have won.

Hooker threw lots of jabs in round 3, but most missed. Ramirez was relaxed and found openings through Hooker’s guard. Ramirez’s left hand scored often, but Hooker rallied down the stretch with his mighty right hand. Ramirez fought back in a back and forth war.

Hooker’s jab was more accurate to start the fourth round. Ramirez’s activity level dropped, and Hooker won the first half of the round. Ramirez came on later, but it was one punch at a time. He lacked the combinations he threw in the first three rounds.

Hooker scored early in round 5 with a series of hooks, but Ramirez caught Hooker on the ropes and threw a flurry of punches. He bullied Hooker around the ring and turned up the action. Hooker struggled to create space but decided to trade in close with Ramirez. It was one of the better rounds of the year.

Ramirez looked light on his feet to begin round 6. The pace calmed, but Ramirez scored with several combinations. Hooker was content to jab, but that was a costly mistake.

While Hooker was in a lull, Ramirez exploded with a left hook that wobbled Hooker. Hooker fell back towards the ropes, and Ramirez unleashed 10 consecutive punches. Hooker was finished, and referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight.

It was a close fight for five rounds, but Ramirez caught Hooker with one punch, and that made all the difference.

Ramirez holds the WBO and WBC super lightweight titles. Regis Prograis and Josh Taylor possess the remaining belts, and they’re likely to meet this October. If that fight happens as planned, then it should be easy for someone to fully unify the division soon. Ramirez proved what he’s made of and is currently the frontrunner.