The defeat suffered by Robeisy “El Tren” Ramírez against the Mexican Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza, by abandonment in the sixth round on Saturday, December 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, leaves a trail of uncertainty about the future of the Cuban boxer.
Ramírez (14-3, 9 KOs) did not want to continue in the fight after receiving a right hand in the eye, which he said made him see double and prevented him from continuing. “El Tren” alleged that Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) had elbowed him in the fourth round that affected his vision.
Espinoza was defending the featherweight crown (126 pounds) of the World Boxing Organization, which he had taken from Ramírez himself a year ago in Pembroke Pines, in southern Florida. For both boxers, the fight was of great importance for their future.
After the result in Phoenix, the Mexican has the path open to win glory and money. On the other hand, for the Cuban the situation is dramatic because it will take time for him to recover from a delicate injury and he must also regain the faith of the fans.
At Banner University Medical Center, where he was evaluated immediately after the fight, Ramírez received the diagnosis: a bilateral fracture of the right orbital bone.
The fight against Espinoza was going to serve the promoter TopRank to project Ramírez’s 2025 campaign. That came to nothing twice: “El Tren” will need a long break to overcome the fracture and, on the other hand, his abandonment in the sixth assault was praised by many because he prioritized his health while others claim that he had to fight until the end.
As background, we must remember that the British Billy Joe Saunders received a direct blow to the eye in the eighth round in his fight against the Mexican Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez, on May 8, 2021 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and not only He was knocked out in that round but ended his career as a boxer.
“He (Espinoza) hit me with his elbows in the fourth round,” Ramírez commented still in the ring. “That’s when I started seeing double. “I told the referee, who did his job by calling him out, but the damage had already been done.”
For his part, “El Divino” defended himself and expressed that there had been no dirty blows.
“I was just doing my job and I caught up with him,” Espinoza argued. “I was just getting started. I think the pressure and what was coming was going to be very difficult for Robeisy. He felt my hit. “He felt my hand and it seems that he thought I was not going to resist.”
Start full train
The Cuban had a great start to the fight and was ahead 49-47 on the judges’ scorecards. His first three rounds had been magnificent. Based on speed, movements and surprise attacks he had kept the Mexican at bay.
That train of fight, however, required extraordinary physical exhaustion and in the fourth episode Robeisy was no longer so fast, nor so elusive. Espinoza took advantage of that early exhaustion and not only won that and the following round but punished him decisively.
Yes, there was contact with the elbows, but it cannot be certain whether they were decisive in causing Robeisy’s injury.
The problem was the difference in size between both fighters, despite having given almost the same figures in the weigh-in the day before the fight. The Cuban weighed 125.6 pounds and the Mexican weighed 125.7.
The difference between the two, however, is abysmal. Robeisy is 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters) and Espinoza is 6’1” (1.85 meters), that is, the Mexican is 17 centimeters taller than the Cuban, almost a head taller.
Arm reach is the key: Espinoza reaches 188 centimeters and Robeisy 173, that is, 15 centimeters apart and that was totally reflected in the fight plan with the Mexican always trying to do damage from the outside with the jab while the Cuban had to always make an extraordinary effort to achieve it.
It is a mystery how a man as tall as “El Divino” can make the weight of the featherweight category at 126 pounds, but with those physical conditions he becomes the bête noire of “El Tren”.
“Until before that blow (elbow) I was doing the perfect job,” Robeisy said. “It wasn’t really a blow, it was an elbow directly to the eye. It is impossible to continue in those conditions.”
The support of another boxer
The great Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugáz was the first to encourage Robeisy when the latter left the ring with all the pain of defeat and concern for his health.
Then, on his social networks, Ugáz harangued his compatriot.
“Live today to fight another day,” Yordenis wrote. “God knows what kind of injury he has there in that eye. “I was winning, but that eye was going to close completely and the injury was going to get worse.”
Ugaz also asked for support for his compatriot in these difficult times and was a balance against the voices that said that Robeisy should have made more of an effort to continue fighting.
Robeisy’s decision was correct. If he continued, he could have jeopardized his vision and his career. Furthermore, it was seen that when he reduced all the physical strength he needed to balance his disadvantages of size and reach, he had no chance against an opponent who belonged to another category.
With Espinoza in the featherweight division, Robeisy will never have a chance. Without “El Divino” in that category, if El Tren recovers, he will be the champion again because he has class, talent and courage.
