On his professional debut, it couldn’t be much worse for Robeisy Ramirez.
Usually, the first fight for decorated amateurs like Ramirez is a quick showcase for their potential. But after twice winning the Olympic gold medal for Cuba was knocked out in his first professional round — and lost — Ramirez had to quickly recalculate his career.
He thinks to either regroup or find another promoter.
He got it together.
Some significant changes and 11 wins later, Ramirez is now just one game away from becoming champion. With a win over former player Isaac Dogboe on Saturday (GAME+, 7pm Eastern Time), Ramirez could win the WBO’s vacant featherweight belt.
Part of his camp for the upcoming game has been moved from Miami to Mount Charleston, Nevada, a city hidden among the mountains northwest of Las Vegas where Ramirez currently trains. The measured approach he took in preparing for Dogboe is why Ramirez is on the verge of becoming a champion.
Ramirez’s training through heights typifies an approach that succeeded after his first professional fall.
“I don’t let my mind wander too much,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “It’s just the task at hand at this point.”
Out of Cuba, the 29-year-old is one of the most heralded prospects in recent years. He won gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. That put him in the elite group alongside 11 of the island’s two-time gold medal winners, including legends like Felix Savon (3rd). ), Teofilo Stevenson (3), Mario Kindelan and Guillermo Rigondeaux, among others.
“He’s been a household name for a long time in Cuba,” said manager Luis DeCubas Sr., who has worked with some of Cuba’s top boxers throughout his career, including against Current 168-pound player David Morrell, said.
And because of the nature of the domestic boxing system, which does not allow turning professional, the amateur system is considered one of the most competitive in the world. DeCubas recalled the story of former champion Joel Casamayor, who was given a bicycle by the Cuban government for winning a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. Casamayor later sold that bike for pork for his birthday. her daughter’s birthday.
“I remember Casamayor always telling me that the hardest battles he had were in Cuba because everyone was trying to leave the country to get something to eat, or they could get one,” DeCubas said. number of shoes and sell them”.
What put Ramirez on Top Rank’s radar was when he defeated Shakur Stevenson in the bantamweight final of the 2016 Olympic Games. After Ramirez defected in 2018 during a training camp in Mexico, Stevenson was one of who urged Top Rank to sign the young star, according to Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti.
Ramirez’s professional debut was against Adan Gonzales, who had four wins out of eight teamfights against Ramirez in August 2019. Ramirez was knocked down in the first round and lost to Gonzales. with the decisive ratio.
Between money, a new diet and cultural adaptation, Ramirez was judged unprofessional. A week after the loss, Moretti said Top Rank brass, including founder Bob Arum, let Ramirez know with certainty that things needed to change.
“If we’re going to do this, you have to do these things the right way, otherwise forget it,” Moretti said. “No one will care. And to his credit, he’s been doing the right thing ever since.”
He switched coaches after the loss and hired Ismael Salas, who is considered one of boxing’s top coaches and comes from the Cuban boxing program. Ramirez also hired Jose Izquierdo as a consultant. And after a stern warning from Arum and Top Rank, Ramirez devoted himself to becoming a pro.
For this fight against Dogboe, he spent about five weeks working at altitude in Mount Charleston. When it comes to running and listening to music, he says he remains determined to win his first professional title.
“If I don’t win this match first, then why am I starting to think about the next one, right?” Ramirez spoke through an interpreter. “It’s no use.”
If Ramirez wins, he’s expected to return to the ring in July or August. There’s no shortage of hot names in the 126-pound weight class, from current champions to top contenders. .
“It’s basically the here and now,” Ramirez said. “This is the mission. And I know for sure that now is the time for me to become world champion.”
