The Featherweight division has beckoned in a new champion with Cuban fighter Robeisy Ramirez putting up a stupendous performance — against former world champion Isaac Dogboe — to win the (vacant) WBO Featherweight world title. Their match at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Tulsa, Oklahoma) went in favor of Ramirez after twelve rounds, with the judges’ scorecards of 118-109, 119-108 and 117-110 marking the solid performance Ramirez had put up against Dogboe.
It was Ghanaian-British former world champion Isaac Dogboe’s (24-3, 15 KO’s) third chance at a world title, while Robeisy Ramirez (12-1, 7 KO’s) had to contend with fighting for his first opportunity to win one of his own. Dogboe, who had a notable stint as a WBO Super Bantamweight champion years before, prior to losing it to Emmanuel Navarrete (37-1, 31 KO’s) in 2018. He had been on a resurgence since losing in his second match to Mexican champion Navarrete in 2019, and Dogboe had moved up to Featherweight to test his mettle which eventually landed him an opportunity for a world title again.
Robeisy Ramirez, a legitimate Featherweight contender only since 2022 after he convincingly beat previously-unbeaten fellow contender Abraham Nova (22-1, 15 KO’s) by knockout, found himself high enough up the rankings in 2023 to be considered one of two contenders for the vacant WBO Featherweight title along with Isaac Dogboe. Ramirez noticeably had just barely a double-digit number of fights prior to facing Dogboe, which is partially owed to his relatively short career that has started since 2019.
With the WBO world title — which had been vacated by Emmaneul Navarrete in wake of his move up to Super Featherweight — available to be won by either fighter, both stepped on the gas pedal early to claim it. It was Robeisy Ramirez, however, who proved himself to be the better fighter on the night from the start of the first round.
Isaac Dogboe and Robeisy Ramirez both weren’t tentative or anxious to try to take each other out, and many of the rounds seemed almost evenly-matched with Ramirez barely taking the rounds due to slightly more activity. It was a tough match for both, but Ramirez clearly seemed to separate later on in the rounds and capitalized his performance with a flash knockdown over Dogboe in the twelfth round through a left uppercut.
It was a confident performance by Robeisy Ramirez who had less than half the number of fights Isaac Dogboe had as a professional. The former Olympic gold medalist is one of the best amateur prospects to come out of Cuba — which in itself is remarkable given the high-quality amateur fighters that Cuba produces regularly, Robeisy Ramirez had to shake off a shocking split-decision loss when he made his professional debut in 2019.
Ramirez has since then become a force in the Featherweight division, and now finds himself a world champion after a rapid rise to the top that had taken other fighters several more years to get to.
The event, organized by Top Rank Promotions, did not feature too many known fighters, but there were several prospects that caught the eye on the night. Noticeably, American prospect Jahi Tucker (10-0, 5 KO’s) netted another good win against Georgian Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (8-2, 6 KO’s) who had come out with the clear intention to knock Tucker out. Forced to rely on his boxing skills, Tucker came out the winner by unanimous decision in a bout that will likely benefit Tucker in the feature when he fights similar and better hard-hitters.
American contender Joet Gonzalez (26-3, 15 KO’s), a three-time world title challenger, came back with a UD victory following his narrow July 2022 loss to Isaac Dogboe. Gonzalez defeated Mexican opponent Enrique Vivas (22-3, 11 KO’s) soundly in ten rounds to win unanimously.
Other mentions include prospects Jeremiah Milton (9-0, 6 KO’s) and Rohan Polanco (9-0, 5 KO’s) who impressed against challenging and experienced opponents.
