The much anticipated bout was as competitive as expected. (Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

In a fight streamed live on ESPN+ Saturday night from the MGM Grand “Bubble” in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jose Carlos Ramirez (26-0,17 KOs), the WBC/WBO super lightweight champion from Avenal, California, successfully defended his titles by outpointing Viktor Postol (31-3, 12 KOs), the former WBC super lightweight champ from Velyka Dymerka, Ukraine, eking out a majority decision over 12 rounds.

The final scores were 116-112 (Steve Weisfeld), 115-113 (Tim Cheatham), and 114-114 (Dave Moretti).

After two postponements due to the Covid-19 pandemic, first in China and then in Fresno, California, the much anticipated bout was as competitive as expected.

Twenty-eight-year-old Ramirez pressed the action during most of the bout, landing shots to the head and body on the inside.

Postol, 36, worked off the jab as he tried to keep his distance from the reigning and defending champ.

After six rounds, the fight was close, as remained so as the rounds progressed. Ramirez turned up the heat in the seventh and hurt Postol with a left halfway through the round

Ramirez continued his surge in rounds eight and nine, landing powerful punches upstairs and down. But there’s not an ounce of quit in Postol. In the 10th he shook Ramirez with a right hand and followed up with two rights in round 11. The fight was close, as the final scores indicated, but Ramirez dominated the 12th and final round to eke out the majority decision.

“I went in there a little too cold,” said Ramirez after the fight. “I impressed myself that I'm so much stronger than I sometimes think. I just have to not lose confidence in myself and stick to what I do best, which is let my hands go and not hesitate too much. There was a little bit of hesitation in this fight and I would shake it off at times and I would hurt him.”

His hesitation wasn’t surprising considering it was his first fight in over a year. But Ramirez met the challenge, if not in a decisive and dramatic manner.

“I went in there a little too cold, you know?” he said. “It happens and it has been a long time since I have been in the ring. A lot has happened in my personal life and it was a long training camp. I guess I work off of a crowd for that spark and motivation. It felt like I was just in a sparring session. These [fights without an audience] aren't my favorite but we live and we learn.”

With the victory, a unification bout with WBA/IBF champion Josh Taylor, if the Scotsman defeats his mandatory on September 26, Ramirez vs. Taylor looks likely.

In other action, welterweight Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez (9-0-1, 9 KOs) kept his perfect record intact by icing Cody Wilson (9-3, 6 KOs) at 1:03 of the third round.

Lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (10-0, 8 KOs) scored a seventh round TKO over Cesar Valenzuela (15-7-1, 5 KOs) at 2:24 of round seven.

Fighting at bantamweight, his brother Gabriel Muratalla (5-0, 3 KOs) decisioned previously unbeaten Justice Bland (2-1, 0 KOs) in a four-rounder.

Middleweight Javier Martinez (2-0, 0 KOs) outpointed Rance Ward (4-2-1, 2 KOs) after six one-sided rounds.