Former Champ Jose Ramirez Declines $2 Million Teofimo Lopez Fight Offer from Top Rank to Land a Deal With Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy

In recent years, Jose Ramirez‘s boxing journey has seen its share of highs and lows. Once a bright star in the ring, his career’s momentum seems to have tapered off. Since 2020, Ramirez has entered the ring only once annually. Notably, he lost his WBC & WBO 140-lb titles to Josh Taylor in a close match in May 2021. When given a chance to challenge Teofimo Lopez in February for over $2 million, Ramirez opted out.

One might wonder why. Well, speculations are that Lopez’s recent performance against Josh Taylor was nothing short of impressive. Given that, facing Lopez would have been a formidable challenge for Ramirez. Interestingly, last year he even refused to fight Regis Prograis as he didn’t agree over the purse split leading Prograis to look for a challenge elsewhere. In a surprising turn of events, Ramirez appears to have joined hands with Golden Boy Promotions.

Jose Ramirez ready to join Golden Boy Promotions

After parting ways with Top Rank last year, former WBC & WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez is on the brink of joining Golden Boy Promotions. The 31-year-old declined a $2 million deal from Top Rank to face Teofimo Lopez, which prompted Golden Boy to swoop in. According to Dan Rafael, Top Rank chose not to match Golden Boy’s offer for Ramirez.

Rafael recently took to Twitter to share the news. In his post, he wrote, “NEWS: Per sources, ex-unified 140 titlist Jose Ramirez is finalizing promo deal w/ Golden Boy. He became free agent from Top Rank in late fall. TR offered $2+M to challenge Teofimo in Feb as part of multi-fight offer. Offer declined. Then TR declined its right to match GB offer.”

As Ramirez contemplates his future with Golden Boy, there are uncertainties about his fighting frequency. If he competes only once a year, there’s a risk he might age out before getting another title shot. While Golden Boy boasts several Mexican fighters, it’s still questionable if they can secure Ramirez the high-profile bouts necessary for substantial earnings and another title bid. A potential clash with Golden Boy’s Ryan Garcia could be lucrative for Ramirez as well. However, it remains to be seen if Garcia would be up for it or not.

Ryan Garcia spends time with De La Hoya’s rival

While Jose Ramirez has joined hands with Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya’s star boxer Ryan Garcia appears to be moving further and further away from the promotion. In the recent turn of events, he appeared to be close with De La Hoya’s arch-nemesis Floyd Mayweather. This can spell trouble for De La Hoya if Garcia moves on to Mayweather after his contract with Golden Boy ends.

The two already don’t see eye to eye ever since Garcia’s fight against Gervonta Davis earlier last year. Interestingly, not too long ago a video of the two walking together surfaced on social media. While talking about potential Devin Haney fight, Mayweather even complimented Garcia stating, “It’s up to Ryan. Ryan [is] do[ing] crazy numbers. So, it’s up to him. Everything is up in the air, so whoever you want to fight.”

Read More: As Fight With Subriel Matias Fell Apart, Teofimo Lopez Agrees to Fight Vasyl Lomachenko’s Former Opponent in February

Further delving into the boxing landscape, Mayweather mentioned the most-watched fighters, including “Canelo, Ryan, and Gervonta Tank Davis.” He emphasized that possessing belts and earning millions doesn’t necessarily equate to stardom. What do you think about the unique position Golden Boy is finding itself in? Share your thoughts about Ramirez’s move to the promotions in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Teofimo Lopez Reveals Why he Declined the $1.5 Million Ryan Garcia fight offer