Maurice Hooker vs. Jose Ramirez - July 27, 2019

[Ruthless-RKO]

Unification!!

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[Cent0089]

Very good fight, i am wondering if winner of this will face WBSS winner. Im going with Ramirez by stoppage

[Ruthless-RKO]

Undefeated Super-Lightweight champions clash at College Park Center in Arlington on July 27

Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez will clash in a World Super-Lightweight unification clash on Saturday July 27 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

WBO champion Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) fights in his home state for the first time as a World champion having won the title in stunning fashion in Oklahoma in November, getting off the canvas to KO Alex Saucedo in his backyard, the widely outpointing Mikkel LesPierre in his first defense in Verona, New York in March.

WBC ruler Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs) puts his belt on the line for the third time having landed the vacant strap in March 2018 against Amir Imam in New York. The 2012 Olympian handed a first defeat to Antonio Orozco in his first defense at home in September at the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California, and then edged a majority decision against Jose Zepeda in February in the same venue.

“First of all I want to thank my promoters Matchroom Boxing and Roc Nation for getting me this opportunity,” said Hooker. “I’m proud to display my skills on DAZN – the best boxing platform out there. I’d also like to thank my team who are with me every step of the way. I want to show the world that I’m the best in the 140 lb. division. My dream is to become the undisputed champion in my weight class. This unification fight with Jose Ramirez is a major step towards that goal.

“Training camp for Team Mighty Mo Hooker is well underway and I’ll be at my absolute best on July 27 to take the green belt from Ramirez. It will be a thrill to do this in front of my home crowd and I’m looking forward to the energy they’ll bring to the ring. I am a dream killer, and Ramirez will be my next victim coming July 27.”

“I am ready for my opportunity to unify the titles,” said Ramirez. “To get the opportunity to be a unified champion is a blessing for me. I’m thankful to Bob Arum and Top Rank for believing in me to go out there and get the job done. I’m going to push myself hard to make the team proud.”

“This is a fight I wanted. I told my manager, Rick Mirigian, that I wanted to fight Maurice Hooker. I know this fight can take my career to the next level. I want to continue making statements at 140 pounds. I want to make it easier for people to decide who the best 140-pounder truly is.

“I’m treating this fight the same as when I won the title in New York City against Amir Imam. He was the taller fighter, the bigger fighter. It’s sometimes easier fighting someone in his backyard because it takes away some of my responsibilities behind the scenes. As the underdog, I have everything to win. It’s not just about defending my title but unifying the division as well. I’m ready to prove myself and show everyone what Jose Ramirez is all about. I can’t wait to bring Hooker’s title back with me to California.”

“I’m delighted to announce this excellent unification match-up between two great champions in Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “These are the fights that boxing needs and the styles will gel into a real fight of the year contender. Both champions believe they have the edge in this fight, tune in July 27 on DAZN to find out comes out on top.”

"This looks like a terrific battle, and I'm predicting that our guy, Jose Ramirez, will emerge as the unified champion," said Top Rank's Bob Arum.

“This is a big fight for Maurice and our team,” said Roc Nation’s Dino Duva. We have been looking forward to it since he became a champion – a title unification match in his hometown, doesn’t get any better for a fighter and his team. Mighty Mo will seize this opportunity to win over the hearts of the great Mexican boxing fans. A victory over a fantastic champion like Jose Ramirez will catapult Mighty Mo into superstar pound for pound status! Big thank you and congrats to DAZN and Matchroom Boxing for stepping up and putting this unification match together. Additional thanks to Top Rank, Ramirez promoter for making it work. This is what great boxing is about.”

“We’re thrilled to deliver another title unification bout to DAZN subscribers this year,” said Joseph Markowski, DAZN EVP, North America. “Credit to all parties working together with the fan’s best interest in mind. Hooker vs. Ramirez is the right fight happening at the right time.”

“This was not easy to get done and had many moving parts,” said Ramirez’s manager Rick Mirigian. “It's the first of its kind in this new era of boxing and I pushed for this since February, I want to thank Top Rank and Eddie Hearn for working through a complex network landscape to make this huge fight happen for the sport.”

[Best Coast]

Great matchup!! I've got Ramirez by competitive but clearcut decision but wont rule out a Hooker win with support from the Texas crowd!!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN on Thursday about two additions to his card on July 27 (DAZN) that will be headlined by the junior welterweight title unification fight between Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Junior lightweight world titlist Tevin Farmer will make his mandatory defense against Guillaume Frenois and former unified cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev will make his heavyweight debut against an opponent to be determined. The fight will be Gassiev’s first since he lost a lopsided decision to Oleksandr Usyk in a showdown for the undisputed cruiserweight title last July in the final of the World Boxing Super Series.

[Ruthless-RKO]

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[Ruthless-RKO]

Do many on here not rate Ramirez?

[ironbeard]

Do many on here not rate Ramirez?

I think the Hooker v Ramirez fight is a toss up. I rate them both but not on the Prograis / Taylor level.

And they all are looking in their rear view mirrors for Vergil.

[Joel2]

Gassiev-dawejko and farmer - frenois as well as Austin Williams

[ironbeard]

Gassiev-dawejko and farmer - frenois as well as Austin Williams

Great card!

[ValMar]

Very good fight, i am wondering if winner of this will face WBSS winner. Im going with Ramirez by stoppage

I hope he will.................

[Ruthless-RKO]

Much like his lone conqueror Oleksandr Usyk, the heavyweight debut of Murat Gassiev will have to wait a little longer.

The former cruiserweight titlist has been forced to withdraw from a planned July 27 showdown versus veteran trialhorse Joey Dawejko due to a shoulder injury.

News of the injury was first revealed by ESPN.com’s Steve Kim.

The show will go on but without Gassiev. Whether or not Dawejko (19-7-4, 11KOs) also remains unclear.

[Rgoodwin]

Much like his lone conqueror Oleksandr Usyk, the heavyweight debut of Murat Gassiev will have to wait a little longer.

The former cruiserweight titlist has been forced to withdraw from a planned July 27 showdown versus veteran trialhorse Joey Dawejko due to a shoulder injury.

News of the injury was first revealed by ESPN.com’s Steve Kim.

The show will go on but without Gassiev. Whether or not Dawejko (19-7-4, 11KOs) also remains unclear.

They should have Hunter replace Gassiev

[Ruthless-RKO]

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Hooker will fight for the first time in Texas as world champion when he faces Jose Ramirez in a super-lightweight unification showdown in the early hours of Sunday morning, live on Sky Sports.

The 29-year-old will make the third defence of his WBO title against undefeated WBC holder Ramirez, who will also put his belt on the line for the third time.

"I will be a champion in boxing and in Dallas as everyone will know my name after this fight," said Hooker.

"This fight means everything to me and the same for him, I just have to go harder than him and I will come out on top. This is part of my legacy - it's just the beginning.

"This is the fight that makes me a big name. I am getting better with every fight and now - my power, my smarts, everything - everyone will know who Maurice Hooker is after this."

"Mighty Mo" (26-0-3, 17 KOs) claimed the vacant belt on the road when he secured a split-decision over Terry Flanagan in front of the Mancunian's home fans in June last year.

"I'm so excited to have this fight in Dallas, I'm ready to come with everything I have," added Hooker.

[Joel2]

Great fight but undercard has fallen to pieces. 5 fights in total but that includes one 4 rounder and 1 6 rounder. Farmer - frenois a good supporting contest as is the step up for tramaine Williams but hearn needed to replace gassiev - dawejko and yeleussinovs step up with at least one big fight. Now the card only has 3 proper fights but the main event is a cracker

[Ruthless-RKO]

Maurice Hooker vs. Jose Ramirez – WBC statistics

GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY

35 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, four of whom have regained the title: Saensak Muangsurin (Thailand), Rene Arredondo (Mexico), Julio Cesar Chavez (Mexico), Timothy Bradley Jr. (US).

128 WBC super lightweight world title bouts have been held in WBC history.
This will be the 73rd WBC super lightweight world title fight in the United States in WBC history.

MEMORABLE FIGHTS:

Sep. 14, 2018 Jose Ramirez W12 Antonio Orozco – Fresno
Mar. 7, 2018 Jose Ramirez W12 Amir Imam – New York
Aug. 19, 2017 Terence Crawford KO3 Julius Indongo – Lincoln
July 23, 2016 Terence Crawford W12 Viktor Postol – Las Vegas
Oct. 3, 2015 Viktor Postol KO10 Lucas Matthysse – Carson
July 14, 2012 Danny Garcia TKO4 Amir Khan – Las Vegas
Jan. 29, 2011 Timothy Bradley Jr. TW10 Devon Alexander – Pontiac
Mar. 6, 2010 Devon Alexander TKO8 Juan Urango – Uncasville
June 25, 2005 Floyd Mayweather Jr. TKO6 Arturo Gatti – Atlantic City
Jan. 29, 2005 Arturo Gatti KO5 James Leija – Atlantic City
Nov. 3, 2001 Konstantin Tszyu TKO2 Zab Judah – Las Vegas
June 7, 1996 Oscar de la Hoya TKO4 Julio Cesar Chavez – Las Vegas
Mar. 17, 1990 Julio Cesar Chavez TKO12 Meldrick Taylor – Las Vegas
May 13, 1989 Julio Cesar Chavez TKO10 Roger Mayweather – Inglewood
Nov. 12, 1987 Roger Mayweather TKO6 Rene Arredondo – Los Angeles
Apr. 8, 1978 Saensak Muangsurin KO13 Francisco Moreno – Hat Yai
Mar. 6, 1971 Bruno Arcari W15 Joao Henrique – Rome
July 22, 1987 Rene Arredondo TKO6 Tsuyoshi Hamada – Kokugican
June 15, 1963 Eddie Perkins W15 Roberto Cruz – Manila

[diddy]

Toss up fight. No clue who wins.

[ironbeard]

Toss up fight. No clue who wins.

X2

[Ruthless-RKO]

Toss up fight. No clue who wins.

X2

A very true evenly matched 50-50 on paper.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hernandez Steps In For Injured Gassiev, Rematch With Dawejko Set

Joey Dawejko will encounter a familiar face Saturday night.

BS.com has been informed that Rodney Hernandez has agreed to fight the veteran heavyweight from Philadelphia on very short notice. Their 10-round rematch will be part of the Maurice Hooker-Jose Ramirez undercard at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Dawejko was supposed to fight former IBF/WBA cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev (26-1, 19 KOs, 1 NC), who has moved up to the heavyweight division. Russia’s Gassiev withdrew from their fight last week, though, due to a shoulder injury.

Hernandez didn’t hesitate Tuesday when the fight with Dawejko was offered to him, once other opponents turned it down. The 30-year-old Hernandez (13-7-2, 4 KOs) is fresh off an upset of Nigerian prospect Onoriode Ehwarieme (17-1, 16 KOs), whom Hernandez knocked out in the first round of their June 1 bout at Soboba Casino Resort in San Jacinto, California.

The 29-year-old Dawejko (19-7-4, 11 KOs) last fought March 9 in Verona, New York. Dawejko dropped a 10-round majority decision that night to Russian contender Sergey Kuzmin (15-0, 11 KOs) at Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Dawejko and Hernandez fought to an eight-round split draw in April 2017 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

DAZN will stream the Dawejko-Hernandez and Hooker-Ramirez matches live Saturday night.

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Why Maurice Hooker can't wait to fight at home

https://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/story/_/i ... fight-home

Junior welterweight world titleholder Maurice Hooker recites a recent statistic: There were 20-plus murders in the month of May in Oak Cliff, Texas, the Dallas neighborhood where he grew up.

Hooker was 12 when his family's apartment was robbed at gunpoint. He found his share of trouble during a turbulent youth. According to co-promoter Dino Duva and manager Arnie Verbeek, Hooker had 33 outstanding arrest warrants by the time he was 21. His mother and brother fought drug addiction. His father was in and out of his life.

"Mighty Mo" says he faced the challenges of drugs and violence in his neighborhood, but he was able to find his way out of the struggles of his childhood through boxing.

Hooker survived and ultimately thrived in June 2018 to win the WBO title by split decision over then-unbeaten Terry Flanagan in Flanagan's hometown of Manchester, England. Two defenses followed -- an exciting seventh-round knockout of mandatory challenger Alex Saucedo in November in Saucedo's hometown of Oklahoma City and a near-shutout decision of Mikkel LesPierre on March 9 in Verona, New York.

Now Hooker is set for the biggest fight of his career. He will make his first seven-figure payday for a hometown title unification bout with WBC champion Jose Ramirez on Saturday (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET) at the College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.

"I moved out [of Oak Cliff], but I still got family there. I'm there like every other day when I'm not training for a fight," Hooker said. "My goal is to get them out of there, my whole family. So this fight is very important to me, just not for me, but my family. If I can get everybody out of there I'll be happy."

The 29-year-old Hooker (26-0-3, 17 KOs) will be well on his way if he can defeat Ramirez (24-0, 16 KOs), 26, of Avenal, California. Both fighters will be making their third title defense in a bout that's viewed by most as a toss-up between two unbeaten titleholders in their prime. It's a major fight at an arena about 20 miles from the neighborhood Hooker almost didn't make it out of.

Hooker said he can thank boxing and his amateur coach, Sultan Ali, for his exodus from Oak Cliff. It was Ali who put him on the right path after his stepfather introduced Hooker to the sport as a teenager.

"I was in the streets, but I had a coach, Sultan Ali, my amateur coach, and he stayed on me," Hooker said. "He came and picked me up every day for the gym. I'd be in the back up to no good, and he'd be in front of the house blowing the horn.

"I was up to no good and [the other kids] would be like, 'You got to go. You got someone's attention around here.' I had to walk out to the truck like, I guess I'll go to the gym. He just stayed on me while some of the others were shootin' dice or doing something wrong. But he was picking me up, blowin' the horn, blowin' up my phone. An old guy who really had nothing to do. He was retired from work. Boxing was his life, so he was there for me."

Hooker won a Dallas Golden Gloves title and owned a 97-7 amateur record before Ali introduced him to manager Verbeek and trainer Vince Parra, who have been with him since the start of his pro career in 2011. Verbeek helped Hooker work with authorities to clear up the legal issues and keep him out of jail.

"Arnie treats Maurice like a son," said Roc Nation's Duva, who co-promotes Hooker with Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn. "He took him into his gym and started getting him fights."

Parra was a significant factor in turning Hooker's raw talent into championship material.

"When I got him, he was a young prospect," Parra said. "I told a reporter he was like a bolt of lightning, and I just knew that if we harnessed it and put it in the right way that he could do something special."

Hooker, Verbeek and Parra have a tight bond, but what Ali did for him is always in the back of Hooker's mind. He knows it's what saved him. That's just one of the reasons Hooker wanted to defend his title at home.

"I want to show all the kids that dreams do come true," said Hooker, who used some of the money he made from the Saucedo fight to buy a house and move to the Dallas suburb of Forney. "I want the kids to come see me fight. And if they see me fight, it might motivate them to get out of there, to work hard, train harder. I want kids to be like, 'Maurice, he's a world champion. He started from nothing. Look at him now.'"

Hooker made it a point to give back to his community. He said he made appearances before the start of training camp to talk to schoolchildren about their future.

"I always tell them, man, just believe in yourself, have faith in what you do," Hooker said. "I don't care if you're a bus driver, just have faith in what you do. I tell them you always want to try to improve yourself in life, don't settle for less.

"It's summertime. Kids don't have nothing to do so they're just on the streets, you know? They just listen to music. Some want to be drug dealers, some want to be gangsters. get a normal job, train, work for it."

Duva, who has been promoting Hooker since 2015 when he appeared on the undercard of the Gennady Golovkin-David Lemieux middleweight title unification fight, has been pleased with Hooker's introspection.

"Maurice has really matured a lot from when I first started working with him," Duva said. "When you think about where he came from -- it's not a unique story, but he came from such a rough childhood.

"That old coach -- you've got to love it when people are willing to help someone coming up in a bad area. You have to respect that and like that. A kid like [Hooker] at the time, he really needed that guidance."

Hooker agreed. He knows that without boxing and Ali picking him up every day to make sure he got to the gym that his life would be different.

"If he wasn't there, I'd still be back there in the shed doing bad things," Hooker said. "And now I'm here. I stayed with it. Like I tell everybody, just believe in yourself -- no matter what."

[Cent0089]

50:50 fight. Im going with Ramirez by stoppage