Two dethroned 140-pound champions each chose the man that beat him to win a title unification bout between those unbeaten boxers who’ll eventually fight for supremacy within their division.

Regis Prograis picked Josh Taylor to beat Jose Ramirez if they fight for Taylor’s IBF and WBA 140-pound championships and Ramirez’s WBC and WBO belts. Maurice Hooker, who is supposed to oppose Prograis next, predicted Ramirez would win that bout.

“I got Taylor,” Prograis told BoxingScene.com. “I don’t wanna really disrespect Ramirez. He’s OK. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good champion. But I don’t think he’s that good. Of course, it’s always different when you get in there with somebody. I just don’t think he’s that good. I definitely have Taylor winning that fight. If Ramirez shocks Taylor, I can definitely call myself wrong. But I’ll roll with Josh Taylor.”

Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs), of Avenal, California, and Scotland’s Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) are expected to fight for their four junior welterweight titles either late this year or early in 2021.

The timing of their championship unification match depends on how long the COVID-19 pandemic prevents fights from taking place. Ramirez and Taylor each must make mandatory defenses of their titles as well.

Ramirez is obligated to defend his WBC crown next against Ukraine’s Viktor Postol (31-2, 12 KOs), a former WBC champ. The Ramirez-Postol bout already has been postponed twice due to the coronavirus crisis.

Taylor’s mandated defense of his IBF belt against Thailand’s Apinun Khongsong (16-0, 13 KOs) also has been postponed.

If Ramirez and Taylor successfully defend their titles when they oppose Postol and Khongsong, Hooker thinks Ramirez will beat Taylor by decision. Ramirez stopped Hooker in the sixth round of their own title unification fight July 27 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

“I see toe-to-toe action,” Hooker told BoxingScene.com. “That’s how Jose fights. He just comes non-stop and keeps swinging. I don’t think he’s gonna stop Taylor because Josh Taylor’s a tough fighter. He’s pretty tough, but I see Jose winning.”

New Orleans’ Prograis (24-1, 20 KOs) and Dallas’ Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) were scheduled to square off in a 12-round, 143-pound fight April 17 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Hooker and Prograis expect their bout to be rescheduled once the boxing business resumes some sense of normalcy.

Prograis lost the WBA super lightweight title to Taylor in his last fight. The Scottish southpaw topped Prograis by majority decision in the World Boxing Super Series’ 12-round, 140-pound final October 26 at O2 Arena in London. 

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