“That Wasn’t Me”

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez says he’s prepared to win back his WBO featherweight title against champion Rafael Espinoza in their rematch this Saturday, December 7th, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

(Credit: Top Rank)

Robeisy (14-2, 9 KOs) says there were a lot of things going on in his life at the time he took the fight against the 6’1″ Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) that prevented him from being at his best.

His father was sick in Cuba, and he couldn’t return to visit him in the hospital. However, even with Ramirez, 30, not being at his best, he came close to knocking out Espinoza in the fifth but lost a narrow 12-round majority decision.

Espinoza vs. Robeisy 2 rematch will be shown this Saturday, December 7th, on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

When Ramirez is at his best, he’s outstanding, showing the technical ability that few in the sport. He defeated Shakur Stevenson in the finals of the 2016 Olympics, leaving him in tears, wondering what went wrong.

“There were a lot of physical things that happened in the fight. A lot of things were happening in my life, but the good thing is everything is fine now. I’m going to be focused for this fight,” said Robeisy Ramirez to the Sean Zittel channel, talking about his rematch with WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza this Saturday.

“That wasn’t me. I was looking for a way out of exchanges, and I wasn’t feeling good at that point. I was trying to do something different, and the things that I wanted to do weren’t happening,” said Robeisy about his previous fight against Rafael Espinoza on December 9, 2023.

“Even though I was like that, it was still Fight of the Year for Top Rank and ESPN. You saw 12 strong rounds. This time, it’s going to be different. In the first fight, I dropped him, and when he got up, it looked ugly. I think that the belt saved him.

Ramirez did not fight well against Espinoza on December 9th last year, failing to follow the corner instructions from his coach, Ismael Salas, who wanted him to stay on the inside of the lanky, stork-like Espinoza because he was having his best success in close.

Espinoza has looked impressive in the last couple of fights. In his last contest, he stopped Sergio Chirino Sanchez in the fourth round on June 21st. What was interesting about that fight was how well Espinoza fought on the inside. He landed a lot of uppercuts that proved to be too much for Sanchez, who was knocked down three times.

A Father’s Influence

“[Coach Ismael] Salas could have told me anything, but I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t able to pay attention. There were other things in my mind that influenced me,” said Robeisy when asked about his coach, Ismael Salas, telling him to stay on the inside against Rafael Esponzoa in their first fight last December.

“In the camp, my father got sick and almost passed away. That affected me a lot because my father is in Cuba. I can’t go back. I can’t even see him in the hospital. So, that affected me really hard. I didn’t have the desire to train or anything,” said Robeisy.