Via Adam Baskin: Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez successfully hit 125.8 lbs, and his opponent Abraham Nova came in at 125.4 lbs on Friday for the 10-round bout. Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. The event begins at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
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Ramirez (9-1.5 KOs) is a promising amateur blue-chip from Cuba who dominated everyone before turning pro.
He won his second Olympic gold medal in 2016 by defeating Shakur Stevenson if America, bringing the New Jersey native to tears.
Top ranked is taking 28-year-old Robeisy into the deep waters by pitting him against the undefeated Nova (21-0, 15 KOs), one of the best boxers at 13o-lb.
Puerto Rican-born tennis player Nova is losing weight from the featherweight superweight to take on Robeisy on Saturday night in a card tie-in matchup Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.
Nova looked thin and bony at Friday’s weigh-in, and one could tell he was well below his natural weight. On Saturday night, we’ll see if Nova’s performance cuts his weight.
“Shakur Stevenson is a number 1 guy in the weight class, and Ramirez beat him in the amateur category for [Olympic] but had a hard time adjusting to a professional,” Max Kellerman told ESPN about the talented Robeisy Ramirez, who won two Olympic gold medals representing Cuba at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
“He lost his professional debut, but has since continued. Nova is his best he probably fought. He is undefeated. What do you think about the match? “
Tim Bradley said: “I think this will be a testament to the amateur lineage. “You always talk about amateur pedigree and how important boxing is to get compared to a guy with an amateur [Abraham Nova]but he has more professional experience than Robeisy Ramirez.
“So we’ll see which comes first. I would say, I support Robeisy Ramirez. I think he’ll do a bit more inside the ring. I think his counter attack will cause many problems for Nova.
THIS IS NOT A WEATER@RobeisyRamirez x @ abrahamnova22 #BeterbievSmith | DELICIOUS Dish | ESPN pic.twitter.com/F9Q55b83MM
– Top boxing (@trboxing) June 17, 2022
“Nova is a tough guy and can punch with a little bit of volume from the outside, but when you can punch in between those punches,” Bradley said.
Kellerman said of Abraham Nova: “Nova has a tendency to slap with a hook, is right-handed and is a guy who can definitely handle herself.
“He is no slouch, but he has never reached the heights that Ramirez has reached in his career, amateur or professional. By far, this is Ramirez’s best opponent, I would say. ”
“Without a doubt, this is his best opponent, and I hope he shows up and looks great,” Bradley said of Robeisy.
