Hard-working Jose Ramirez eyes junior welterweight supremacy

Jose Ramirez was always in top physical condition. Credit those long, unseen hours at Kings Boxing Club in Avenal, California.

But there was something about those 100-degree summer days that was hard to handle, even for the eventual WBC and WBO junior welterweight champion.

“After the third or fourth day in the week, you wanted to take a couple days off,” said the undefeated 28-year-old Mexican-American. “But every morning, you wake up and see 47-year-old ladies. You’d see 55-year-old men. You would tell yourself, ‘If they can keep going, I can keep going, too.’ They motivated me to never quit.”

In the agriculture fields — or in the boxing ring.

Ramirez (26-0, 17 knockouts) is on the cusp of junior welterweight supremacy, needing only a victory Saturday over IBF and WBA champion Josh Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas to become the fifth undisputed champion in boxing’s four-belt era.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be had it not been for those long hours under the Central California sun.

His beloved hometown of Avenal is an agriculture hub comprised of farms and farmers like Ramirez, who spent his adolescence working in the agricultural industry — honing his work ethic while training for boxing superstardom.

“It really shaped me to be really quiet guy that realized what’s important in life and least important,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

Ramirez estimates that 95 percent of the adults in Avenal work in agriculture — including his father, who immigrated from Mexico with Ramirez’s mother. It’s part of the region’s identity. Part of his identity.

He began boxing at the age of 7 as a means to harness his youthful energy. He was working in the nearby fields by the age of 14, waking up at 4:30 a.m. to pick fruit for 10 or so hours a day all summer long.

“I wanted to bring pride to my family. Make sure I bring my dad a check at the end of the week,” Ramirez said. “I’ve always been the kind of guy who’s been embarrassed to fold or quit.”

But Ramirez never folded, and he certainly never quit. In fact, he would go straight to the gym when he was finished working in the fields. Day after day after day.

He flourished as an amateur, capturing three junior national championships and earning a berth in the 2012 Summer Olympics. He signed with Top Rank in 2012, unknowingly beginning his trek toward Taylor.

On March 22, 2018, Ramirez became the WBC champion by beating Amir Imam via unanimous decision in New York. He added the WBO crown on July 27, 2019, by knocking Maurice Hooker out in suburban Dallas.

All the while, Ramirez stayed true to Avenal by publicly advocating for the rights of agricultural workers and raising awareness about water shortages in central California. Top Rank even promoted a series of cards with Ramirez in the area as a means to general additional attention for those causes.

“I’ve always been a big advocate for them, a voice for them,” Ramirez said. “They were neighbors for a long time and they’re one of me and I’m on of them. It’s that simple.”

Ramirez can solidify his legacy as a boxer on Saturday by beating Taylor. “But I’m even more impressed with what a man he’s become,” said his promoter, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who also promotes Taylor.

“If people say to me ‘Are you proud of Jose Ramirez?’ I say, ‘Damn proud.’ Because what he’s accomplished is absolutely tremendous, and it’s a great American story.”

Win, lose or draw.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.