For now, however, that distinction is held by someone else.

“[Carlos] Adames is that guy right now,” Ramos told FightHype.com on its YouTube channel. “He’s held it down at 160. He deserves that right now. I think you gotta beat that guy and then you become the man at 160.”

Luckily for Ramos (24-1, 19 KOs), he has a chance to claim Adames’ spot.

The Ring’s No. 8 middleweight and WBC interim beltholder will take on Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (20-0, 11 KOs), the sanctioning body’s No. 1 and mandatory contender, on the undercard of Isaac Cruz versus Nestor Bravo on September 19 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

The WBC declared recently that Adames (25-1-1, 18 KOs) must fight the winner.

Ranked No. 1 by The Ring, Adames dished out a one-sided beating to Austin “Ammo” Williams on March 21, which resulted in a unanimous decision.

Adames was in talks to move up in weight for a matchup with IBF super middleweight champion Osleys Iglesias, but that never progressed.

The 32-year-old Dominican also expressed his desire for a unification bout, particularly against WBO beltholder Denzel Bentley.

For now, though, he’ll remain on ice and keep a close eye on Ramos-Nursultanov. For the 25-year-old southpaw from Casa Grande, Arizona, he has picked up four victories in a row, three by stoppage, since his controversial points defeat to Erickson Lubin in September 2023.

With a chance to make it five consecutive victories, he knows it won’t be easy.

“He’s tough, he’s a veteran,” Ramos said regarding Nursultanov. “You can tell he has experience and he has that style that can give anyone trouble. It’s a little complicated, but it’s a puzzle that we’re gonna solve.”