On Saturday, February 1, current champion Jose Ramirez goes up against challenger Viktor Postol for the WBC and WBO Light Welterweight titles in a fight that can be seen on ESPN. Ramirez is 25-0 in his career with 17 knockouts, while Postol is 31-2 with 12 knockouts. Ramirez vs. Postol will take place at Mission Hills Haikou in Haikou, China and will be featured on ESPN with the main card fights beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern. Let’s look at the bout and boxing picks.
Boxing Odds
Jose Ramirez: -750
Viktor Postol: +525
Over/Under Rounds: Check Back Later
Jose Ramirez (25-0, 17 knockouts)
In his last six fights, Ramirez has six wins and no losses. He defeated Jake Giuriceo by TKO in the second round, Mike Reed by KO in the second round, Amir Imam by unanimous decision, Antonio Orozco by unanimous decision, Jose Zepeda by majority decision, and Maurice Hooker by TKO in the sixth round. Ramirez gets a knockout win 68% of the time.
Ramirez said this to espn.com about his upcoming bout against Postol, “I am excited to defend my belts against Viktor Postol to kick off my 2020 schedule. I am a world champion, so it is my honor to defend my titles in front of the great fans in China. It is going to be a great experience, and I am glad that my fans back home will be able to watch me live on ESPN. As a unified champion, I am hungrier than ever.”
Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said this about the bout between Ramirez and Postol, “Boxing is a global sport, and it is with great pleasure that we bring one of the sport's great champions, Jose Ramirez, to the beautiful Mission Hills Haikou. Jose is coming off a career-best victory, but he can't afford to overlook Postol, who is a tremendous former world champion.”
Viktor Postol (31-2, 12 knockouts)
In his last six fights, Postol has four wins and two losses. He defeated Lucas Matthysse by KO in the 10th round, Jamshidbek Najmiddinov by unanimous decision, Siar Ozgul by points decision, and Mohamed Mimoune by unanimous decision; while losing to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision and Josh Taylor by unanimous decision. Postol gets a knockout win 36.36% of the time.
Postol said this to espn.com about his upcoming bout against Ramirez, “It's a big opportunity for me and a big honor to share the ring with one of the best fighters in my division. I know Ramirez, as we sparred together in the past. I'm looking forward to a great fight in China.”
Boxing Picks
This bout might be more interesting than the odds suggest. Ramirez is unbeaten, but Postol is no pushover. Postol has more experience and he is older, but the question is whether he still has the skill to beat a young, talented fighter like Ramirez. Postol was doing great in his career and was undefeated until he suffered losses against Terrence Crawford and Josh Taylor. There is no shame in losing to Crawford or Taylor, so you can make a case that Postol is capable of beating Ramirez. I am sure not laying more than 7-1 on Ramirez in a fight that looks to be close. I think the best choice is to simply play the rounds. Ramirez has decent power, but I don’t see him getting the knockout in this bout and Postol has limited power. I will take the rounds to go over the total.
Boxing Pick: The fight to go to a decision and the rounds going over the total
With the boxing odds at BookMaker Sportsbook, you can bet on boxing all year, from smaller cards to pay-per-view events. Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook. Ramirez and Postol will take place at Mission Hills Haikou in Haikou, China on Saturday, February 1 and will be featured on ESPN.
