Two featherweight bouts added to Taylor-Ramirez super-lightweight triple header
Jose Enrique Vivas vs Louie Coria and Robeisy Ramirez vs Juan Tapia Featherweight Bouts confirmed for Ramirez-Taylor undercard
Before Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17KOs) and Josh Taylor (17-0, 13KOs) clash for the undisputed super-lightweight world title Saturday, May 22 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, two featherweight firefights will get the action going.
Mexican contender Jose Enrique Vivas will battle the Robert Garcia-trained Louie Coria in a scheduled eight-rounder. And, in an eight-rounder with a touch of gold, two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez will face Juan Tapia, the fighting pride of Brownsville, Texas.
Vivas-Coria and Ramirez-Tapia are among the undercard fights scheduled to stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.
Ramirez-Taylor headlines a super-lightweight tripleheader starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+. The main card will also showcase Jose “Chon” Zepeda in a 10-rounder versus “Hammerin” Hank Lundy and unbeaten sensation Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez against former U.S. amateur star Kenneth "Bossman" Sims Jr. in an eight-rounder.
Vivas vs Coria
Vivas (20-1, 11 KOs) went 2-0 last year inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, outlasting Carlos Jackson in a Fight of the Year contender and knocking out John Vincent Moralde in the opening round. A former Mexican amateur standout, Vivas has won three straight bouts since a points loss to Ruben Villa. Coria (12-4, 7 KOs), from Moreno Valley, California, hopes to break a two-bout losing skid, although both defeats came in brawls that could’ve easily gone his way. Last June, he dropped a majority decision to Adam Lopez, and four months later, he knocked down 2016 Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceicao en route to a disputed unanimous decision verdict.
Ramirez vs Tapia
Ramirez (6-1, 4 KOs) turned his career around following a shocking decision defeat to Adan Gonzales in his professional debut. He avenged that loss last July via shutout decision and most recently knocked out Brandon Valdes (13-1 at the time) in the sixth round. Ramirez makes his 2021 debut against Tapia (10-3, 3 KOs), a seven-year pro who has gone the distance against 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Vladimir Nikitin and pound-for-pound standout Shakur Stevenson.
Cortes vs Garza
Las Vegas native Andres Cortes (13-0, 7 KOs) will make his 11th consecutive hometown appearance, this time against Eduardo “Thunder” Garza (15-3-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round junior lightweight tilt. Cortes made a memorable impression inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble last July, recovering from a fourth-round knockdown to outpoint Alejandro Salinas.
Muratella vs Gallegos
Raymond “Danger” Muratalla(11-0, 9 KOs), the Robert Garcia-trained lightweight prospect from Fontana, California, will fight Jose Luis Gallegos(20-10, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Muratalla is coming off a third-round stoppage win over Luis Porozo last November on the Terence Crawford-Kell Brook card, his sixth consecutive knockout win.
Martinez vs Metcalf
Middleweight prospect Javier "Milwaukee Made" Martinez(3-0, 1 KO), who was once the top-ranked American amateur at 165 pounds, will fight veteran Calvin Metcalf(10-5-1, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder. Martinez last fought Feb. 20 and knocked out Billy Wagner in the first round.
Running Order
#1 Javier Martinez vs Calvin Metcalf
6×3 Middleweight contest
#2 Raymond Muratella vs Jose Luis Gallegos
8×3 Super-featherweight contest
#3 Andres Cortes vs Eduardo Garza
8×3 Super-featherweight contest
#4 Jose Enrique Vivas vs Louie Coria
8×3 Featherweight contest
#5 Robeisy Ramirez vs Juan Tapia
8×3 Featherweight contest
#6 Jose Zepeda vs Henry Lundy
10×3 WBC Silver super-lightweight title
#7 Elvis Rodriguez vs Kenneth Sims Jr
8×3 Super-lightweight contest
Main Event
Josh Taylor vs Jose Carlos Ramirez
12×3 Undisputed super-lightweight contest
How to watch Ramirez-Taylor in the UK
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