Robeisy Ramirez (13-2, 8 KOs) says he wants a rematch with a rematch with Rafael Espinoza (24-0, 20 KOs) after losing his WBO featherweight world title by a twelve round majority decision in a fight-of-the-year type of war last Saturday night.
Espinoza’s relentless pressure on the Robeisy wore him down, and he couldn’t match the pace of the much taller fighter.
Espinoza threw 121 punches in the twelfth round, landing 49 of them to put an exhausted and hurt Robeisy on the canvas late in the round.
Robeisy had his window for victory when he knocked Espinoza down in the fifth, but he failed to capitalize on it by giving away the sixth and gassing in the championship rounds.
The two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist seemingly had the fight won after dropping the lanky 6’1″ Espinoza late in the fifth round with a right hook at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
Fortunately for the 29-year-old Espinoza, the knockdown came at the end of the round, as he was out on his feet and needed to hold onto the ropes for support after getting back to his feet. If the knockdown had come earlier in the round, Robeisy would have easily finished the hurt Espinoza.
With Espinoza throwing nonstop punches, he wore down Robeisy and took advantage of his low punch output to win a twelve round majority decision by the scores 113-113, 114-112, 115-111.
Robeisy believes he should have won
“We did what we always do. We followed what Ismael Salas told us to do. We scored the knockdown and tried to end the fight, but it didn’t happen,” said Robeisy Ramirez to Top Rank Boxing after his loss to Rafael Espinoza last Saturday night.
Robeisy’s high guard defense, which he’s used since his amateur days in Cuba, was all wrong for him against Espinoza, as he allowed him to be teed off on. Moreover, the constant ducking down that Robeisy did was wasted movement, serving no purpose other than tiring out his legs.
That’s a thing that Ramirez has been doing since his amateur days, and it didn’t help him in this fight. Robeisy should have stopped using that move a long time ago because it’s showboat junk that doesn’t help him in his fights.
“I would love to have a rematch. He’s a great Mexican warrior. Congratulations to him. I have a lot of respect for Mexican boxers. I’ll fight him or any Mexican champion out there,” Robeisy continued.
This was a similar defeat for Robeisy as his first career loss in 2019 when little-known Adan Gonzales outworked him. Robeisy was out-hustled by a lower-level non-contender fighter, who he should have been able to beat.
Robeisy should have learned from that fight that he needs to increase his punch output, stop taking rest breaks, and forget about the junk stuff in his fighting style, like the ducking down move that he frequently does.
At this point in Robeisy’s career, it might be too late to change how he fights because he lacks the engine to increase his work rate, and he fights in brief spurts.
He’s always fought like that, but he got away with it in the amateur ranks because his hand speed was better back then. Robeisy is slower, older, and heavier now than when was winning Olympic gold medals in Cuba.
“I thought the fight was won. But he got his second wind. I tried to catch mine. But I’ve got to give him credit. He came after me. He got the knockdown. I didn’t think it would determine the result, but that’s what the judges decided.”
It would be a risky move for the 5’5” Robeisy to take a rematch with Espinoza because his height, reach, and high-volume fighting style are all wrong for him. Robeisy had problems with Espinoza from the start, losing the first four rounds due to his high work rate and struggling throughout.
