Jose Ramirez Vs. Richard Commey: Odds, Records, Prediction

It’s been nearly two years since Jose Ramirez was at the top of the 140-pound weight division, holding two junior welterweight world titles and fighting for the undisputed championship. Since losing to Josh Taylor and falling out of the championship picture, though, Ramirez has been a relatively forgotten fixture at junior welterweight. On Saturday, against former titlist Richard Commey, Ramirez looks to make fans remember why he was once one of the best at 140 pounds. Here’s everything you need to know about Jose Ramirez vs. Richard Commey, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Before he faced Taylor, Ramirez was one of the elite in the division, especially when he knocked out Maurice Hooker in 2019 to unify two of the titles. Though his performances can be a little inconsistent, his skills and his aggression have served him well. But he’s 30 years old now, and he’s only fought 12 rounds in the past 22 months.

Where does Ramirez now stand? A high-level performance against Commey would tell us one thing. An uneven performance in which he struggles, though, would tell us something else.

“Ramirez is motivated like I have never seen, and he’s out to prove some things,” said Rick Mirigian, Ramirez’s manager.

No. 1 in Ramirez’s mind: showing people that, hey, he’s still pretty darn good.

“I’ve experienced being at the top with people praising me and me being ranked at No. 1,” Ramirez said. “Then, all of a sudden after one loss, people started to walk away from that. But I’m just blessed that I have a beautiful family, a beautiful team and a wonderful promotional company. That’s all I need. So, I found myself, and I realized who I am. I feel like I’m ready to show that lion that we all saw before I started getting distracted with some of the stuff that comes with being at the top. Now it’s time for me to work.”

In reality, if he’s even close to as good as he once was, he shouldn’t have many problems with Commey, who has only won one of his last four fights and who hasn’t scored a significant win in about four years. On Saturday, though, Commey said he still has something left to prove.

“Like Ramirez said, he’s got the ‘fire’ back in him,” Commey said. “So, I think he really wants to get back to the top. Just like me.”

Here’s more info on the Jose Ramirez vs. Richard Commey showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Jose Ramirez vs. Richard Commey odds

Considering Ramirez, as of Friday afternoon, is a huge betting favorite at -1000 (bet $1,000 to win $100), there’s not much point to wagering on his money line. Commey, meanwhile, is the +550 underdog (win $550 on a $100 bet), but I’d avoid his money line as well (unless it was at least +600). Taking Ramirez at -163 to win by decision seems like a better idea.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Ramirez to beat Commey by decision, David Benavidez to beat Caleb Plant by stoppage at -163, and Chris Colbert to beat Jose Valenzuela at -138. If all of those were to hit, you’d make a $349 profit on a $100 wager.

Jose Ramirez vs. Richard Commey records

After losing to Josh Taylor 22 months ago, Ramirez bounced back with a solid victory against Jose Pedraza to up his record to 27-1, 17 KOs. Before his defeat in the undisputed junior welterweight championship match, Ramirez had put together an impressive run of wins, including against the undefeated Maurice Hooker, Viktor Postol, Jose Zepeda and the undefeated Antonio Orozco.

Commey (30-4, 27 KOs) certainly has talent, but whenever he’s fought an elite opponent, he’s fallen in defeat. His best win came against Ray Beltran in 2019, but Commey lost to Vasily Lomachenko (while showing great toughness), Teofimo Lopez and Robert Easter Jr. If you want a direct comparison to Ramirez, look to Commey’s showing against Pedraza, a split draw. Against Pedraza, Ramirez looked solid but not spectacular in his victory. Comparing the two’s performance vs. Pedraza, that could lead some to believe that this matchup isn’t as wide as the odds indicate.

Jose Ramirez vs. Richard Commey prediction

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a slow start from Ramirez, and because Commey likely still has some of the skills that made him a world titlist, this could be a close affair early in the bout. By the end, though, Ramirez will have shown enough that he’s a level or two above Commey and will win a decision with relative ease. Say, somewhere in the 117-111 range.