According to ESPN, Jose Ramirez (27-1, 17 KOs) has decided to decline a championship shot against WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis because he is reportedly dissatisfied with the 65/35 purse split he would receive for the contest. Ramirez preferred a 50/50 split as the challenger in place of that division.
Ramirez was defeated by Josh Taylor in 2018 and narrowly defeated Viktor Postol in 2020. The year prior, he defeated Jose Zepeda in a highly contentious 12-round decision. Still, you may argue that Ramirez should have a 2-3 record over his previous five contests and he doesn't need to compete against a skilled individual like Prograis given the work he has done since 2019. But, that person might put an end to what's left of Ramirez's waning career.
With Regis Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs), Ramirez claims he "hopes to make the fight happen in the future". Actually, Ramirez would have little chance against the newly crowned WBC champion based on how he has been recently, thus declining the fight is a good method for him to avoid losing to Prograis.
On social media, Boxing fans are criticizing him for turning down a title fight, seeing it as a complete duck on his part. All in all, Ramirez might end up facing Richard Commey, a 35-year-old former IBF lightweight champion with a 2-2-1 record in his previous five fights, rather than Prograis.
Image Credit: ESPN