Former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Carlos Ramirez will look to shake off the first loss of his career against former IBF super featherweight and WBO lightweight title holder Jose Pedraza. Ramirez (26-1 with 17 knockouts) will be more comfortable since he is fighting in his natural weight class, while Pedraza (29-3 with 15 knockouts) will be moving up a division for this bout.
Jose Carlos Ramirez and Jose Pedraza will headline a card broadcast on ESPN+ on Friday, March 4, 2022, from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Ramirez will have the crowd at his back since he hails from Fresno, and this will be his ninth fight in the city. This card is slated to start at 8:30 p.m. ET.
When: Friday, March 4, 2022
Where: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Why: Super lightweight fight
Jose Carlos Ramirez vs Jose Pedraza Betting Odds
Jose Carlos Ramirez -650
Jose Pedraza +431
If you are unfamiliar with betting on boxing, Jose Carlos Ramirez is a sizeable favorite in this fight. Since Ramirez is a -650 favorite by the boxing betting odds, a $650 bet on Ramirez would return $100 if he were to win. Meanwhile, a $100 wager on Pedraza would earn a bettor a $431 profit at this price if he were to have his arm raised.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Jose Carlos Ramirez vs Jose Pedraza Preview
Although Jose Carlos Ramirez was bounced from the 2012 Summer Olympics early, he showed enough as an amateur fighter for Bob Arum of Top Rank to sign him to a contract. Ramirez proved that he was a solid fighter by winning his first 15 fights before taking down Johnny Garcia to win the WBC Continental Americas light welterweight belt. He successfully defended that belt four times before getting his first major title chance.
Ramirez met Amir Imam for the WBC light welterweight championship in March 2018. He was able to beat Imam by unanimous decision, and he followed that up with a unanimous decision victory over Antonio Orozco six months later. Ramirez had to settle for a majority decision win over Jose Zepada though in his second title defense.
That led to many prognosticators predicting Maurice Hooker to beat Ramirez in July 2019. Hooker did knock down Ramirez in the first round, but Ramirez battled back and put the hurt on his opponent in the middle rounds. Ramirez ended up earning a sixth-round TKO, and he claimed the WBO light welterweight belt too with the win.
He defended both titles against Viktor Postol and only won a majority decision, but that set up a unification bout with Josh Taylor in May 2021. Both boxers were unbeaten ahead of the fight, and Taylor won a narrow unanimous decision where all three judges scored the fight 114-112 based off two knockdowns in the sixth and seventh round.
Jose Pedraza was 15-0 before he took on Alberto Garza for the IBO super featherweight belt. Pedraza won a unanimous decision to claim the title, but the belt was taken from him shortly after the fight. It took him another year to receive a second title shot, and he beat Andrey Klimov by unanimous decision for the IBF super featherweight strap in June 2015.
Pedraza successfully defended that belt twice before losing to Gervonta Davis by seventh-round TKO. He moved up a weight class following the defeat and won the WBO lightweight belt from Raymundo Beltran in August 2018 before losing to Vasiliy Lomachenko. Pedraza suffered a third loss in September 2019, but he has won three straight fights.
This fight was originally supposed to take place on February 5, but it was postponed a month after Pedraza had flu-like symptoms in January. Ramirez is two inches taller and his reach is two inches longer, so most of the action figures to be on the favorite here.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
