Oscar De La Hoya signed a fighter who could be a future opponent for Ryan Garcia, making the announcement on Saturday night at Ortiz vs Lawson.
Golden Boy Promotions has kicked off 2024 by securing another massive fighter in the super lightweight division. De La Hoya ratified the recruitment of former U.S. Olympian and former super lightweight World Champion Jose Ramirez [28-1, 18 KOs].
Ramirez, a former unified champion, aims to hit the ground running at 140, the same division as Garcia.
Oscar De La Hoya signs Jose Ramirez
“I’m ready to be a two-time World Champion. I’m ready to do it right now and stay active this year,” said Ramirez.
“I felt Oscar and Golden Boy could deliver both immediately and some big fights at this point in my career that I want. This is the most motivated I have been since I turned pro.”
“An Olympic pedigree. It is an incredible resumé that features two world titles. A massive and loyal fan base — José Ramirez has it all. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Golden Boy family,” said De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. ”
Our plan for Ramirez is simple: get him back in the ring quickly and keep him active against the best of the best. To show the world that he is still among the cream of the crop in the super lightweight division.”
“We know our value, and we had to get a plan,” said Rick Mirigian, manager of Jose Ramirez. “Golden Boy stepped up and showed that Jose would be a priority to them with the deal he was given.
“The fights that can now be made at 140 in-house are among the best in the sport. Golden Boy has now taken a strong hold on the most exciting division in boxing.”
Former world champion
Jose Ramirez is a proud representative of Avenal, California – a small, farm-working town in the Central Valley.
The 31-year-old has built an impressive resume since his professional debut in 2012 after representing the US in the Olympic Games.
Ramirez quickly rose to the top of the rankings and became the WBC Super Lightweight World Champion in 2018. He scored a unanimous decision against Amir Imam at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The new GBP star successfully defended his title against Antonio Orozco on September 14, 2018, and Jose Zepeda on February 2, 2019. He went on to unify the WBC and WBO titles against Maurice Hooker on July 27, 2019.
Ramirez successfully defended the two belts against Viktor Postol on August 29, 2020. He bounced back after his only blemish against Josh Taylor in a fight for undisputed on May 22, 202, with consecutive wins against Jose Pedraza and Richard Commey in 2022 and 2023.
