That dream could become a reality in the near future.

Ortiz, The Ring’s No. 2-ranked junior middleweight, will likely move up to 160 pounds for his next fight, which is expected to take place in November. Ramos also has business of his own to handle when he defends his interim WBC middleweight title against Meiirim Nursultanov on Saturday at Pechanga Arena San Diego on DAZN. Ramos-Nursultanov is the co-feature on a Premier Boxing Champions card headlined by Isaac Cruz vs. Nestor Bravo for Cruz’s interim WBC 140-pound title.

If they win their next fights, Ramos (24-1, 19 KOs) vs. Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs) is a feasible and intriguing option for both fighters. Should it comes to fruition, Ramos believes the battle could be on par with the trilogy between Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.

“That's a Barrera-Morales type of fight,” Ramos told The Ring. “Those are the fights that I need to have for my legacy. Those are the fights I want, so that's why I mentioned his name. Not that I have anything against him, but I want to make that fight for myself, for the fans, and I want to prove to myself that I am better.”

Barrera and Morales engaged in one of boxing’s most thrilling rivalries of the 21st century. Morales won the first fight by split decision in 2000, Barrera took a unanimous decision in the rematch in 2002 and Barrera won the rubber match by majority decision in 2004. The first and third bouts between the Hall of Famers won The Ring’s Fight of the Year.

Ramos’ preference would be to face WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames next if he beats Nursultanov in their 12-round middleweight fight. Adames (25-1-1, 18 KOs), The Ring’s No. 1-ranked middleweight last fought on March 21 and retained his title with a dominant unanimous decision over Austin “Ammo” Williams in Orlando.

“I expect that to be my next fight,” Ramos said of Adames. "That's the fight that I want, and that's the fight I'm hoping to get before he moves up. I don't want him to move up without fighting me. I want to take the belt from him in the ring. He's tough. He's a great boxer. He hits hard from what I've seen, but I think I can take him. I've studied him enough, and I think I can do whatever he does, but better.”

Ramos, 25, won the interim WBC middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Shane Mosley Jr. on December 6 in San Antonio. The southpaw from Casa Grande, Arizona, went into the fight with a right hand injury, which left him unable to spar in his final month of preparation for Mosley.

Withdrawing from the fight would have meant losing a key opportunity to position himself for a world title shot. Thus, Ramos couldn't pass it up and entered the ring at less than 100% physically and with an additional “mental battle."

Ramos was pleased with his performance against Mosley (23-5, 13 KOs) given the obstacles he faced.

“I had to fight through some dark moments in that fight [and] overcome those hurdles,” Ramos said. “I know myself a lot better. I know how far I can push it. I'm grateful that I went through that. I'm grateful that as a team we learned and I feel like we're more experienced, more mature, and I've been feeling all of that in this training camp.”

Ramos' hopes of landing a fight with Ortiz or Adames depend on him getting past Nursultanov. The 33-year-old Kazakhstani hasn't fought in nearly three years, with his last fight being a unanimous decision over Julio Alamos in November 2023.

Ramos noted the difficulty of preparing for a fighter coming off such a long layoff, but he also believes it could play into his favor, especially early in the fight.

“I think it's hard to get up off the couch and go into the ring like that,” Ramos said of Nursultanov’s lengthy layoff. “Those three years that he's been inactive I've been working hard. I've been learning a lot. I'm not the same fighter I was three years ago. It's gonna be an uphill battle for him, and I'm gonna remind him of that battle in the very first round.”