Maurice Hooker: I Wouldn't Have Fought Ramirez In His Hometown

By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – There was only one place Maurice Hooker wouldn’t have gone to fight Jose Ramirez.

As much as Hooker wants to prove himself against another 140-pound champion, he wouldn’t have agreed to meet Ramirez in Fresno, California. Ramirez, of nearby Avenal, California, has become one of the biggest attractions in American boxing at Fresno State University’s Save Mart Center, where he regularly has drawn crowds in excess of 10,000.

“I would’ve fought him anywhere but in his hometown,” Hooker told BoxingScene.com. “Because if you seen his last fight, I thought it should’ve been a draw.”

In his last fight, Ramirez beat Mexican southpaw Jose Zepeda by majority decision in a 12-rounder February 10 at Save Mart Center to retain his WBC super lightweight title. Two judges scored that fight for Ramirez (116-112, 115-113) and another judge scored it even (114-114).

Ramirez (24-0, 16 KOs) was heavily favored to defeat Zepeda (30-2, 25 KOs, 2 NC).

 “It was a very close fight,” Hooker said. “I was surprised, but you never know what happened in his camp. He probably overlooked the guy, you know? But going into our fight, I’m not worried about his last fight. I’m worried about his fights before, when he was at his best, when he first won the title. I look at them fights. [His last opponent] was a southpaw, too, and he was slick.”

Ramirez, meanwhile, had no problem accepting DAZN’s lucrative offer to travel to Hooker’s home area for their 140-pound title unification fight. They’ll square off July 27 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, near Hooker’s hometown of Dallas.

Hooker (26-0-3, 17 KOs) expected to meet Ramirez in neutral territory, but the WBO junior welterweight champion was pleasantly surprised when he learned Ramirez was willing to come to his backyard.

“This is very important to me,” Hooker said. “I won my first belt in England [from Terry Flanagan last June]. Nobody from the States really got to watch me fight – my family, my friends. Now they can watch me win another belt in Dallas, Texas. My family, friends and fans in Dallas get to watch me this time, so it’s important. It’s a big fight in Dallas and the first defense of my belt in Dallas.” 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.