By Craig Daly: Shakur Stevenson says he’d like to avenge his loss to the two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez by fighting him in the pros at lightweight.
(Photo credit: Alex Sanchez)
For a rematch to have any chance of happening, Ramirez, 29, would need to move up from 126 to 135, where Shakur is fighting at.
The speedy, counter-punching Cuban Robeisy defeated Shakur in the 2016 Olympics, picking him apart with precise left hands to the head and surprisingly getting the better of him on the inside with rapid-fire combinations. Afterward, Shakur was in tears, upset about losing to Robeisy.
Obviously, the loss to Robeisy still bothers Shakur seven years after the fact, but there’s no shame in losing to the talented two-time Olympic gold medalist. Robeisy had a better amateur style that Shakur, and it wasn’t surprising that he lost to him.
What was surprising was how close the judges scored it, scoring 2-1. If you watch that fight, Robeisy appeared to win by a much wider margin than that. He repeatedly nailed Shakur with clean shots without the judges crediting him for the scoring punches.
The two are now with Top Rank in the pros but separated by two weight classes. Robeisy (12-1, 7 KOs) started his professional career in 2019 and captured his first world title last Saturday night, defeating former super bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe by a twelve-round unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO featherweight title.
The Robeisy vs. Dogboe fight occurred at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Florida. The scores were 118-109, 119-108, and 117-110.
Stevenson is fighting this Saturday night against Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs) in a WBC lightweight title eliminator in the main event on ESPN at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
“We saw with Top Rank last weekend Robeisy Ramirez win his first title at 126. You fought him in the [2016] Olympics. I know how much that loss hurt you. I was there in Rio, and I talked to you after that loss. Is a fight with Ramirez in the pros on your mind?” said Chris Mannix on his Boxing podcast site, talking to Shakur Stevenson about the loss that left him sobbing against the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez in 2016.
“Yeah, and no. It all depends on how big he gets,” said Shakur about him potentially wanting a rematch with Robeisy. “Like me right now, it’s weird because we was close to the same weight when I seen him in Vegas.
“Me right now; I know the level I’m at right now. So, I’m not pushing for it, but I would love to get in the ring. I even asked if I could spar him just to get in the ring and see what’s going on. I’m happy for him. He did his thing [beating Isaac Dogboe by a 12 round unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBO featherweight title last Saturday night].
“I can’t take nothing away from him. Good for him, and I’m proud of him. He’s a good friend, and I can’t if he gives me a chance to get some sparring in, I’d be interested in doing that,” said Stevenson about Robeisy.
“You got to fatten him up, get him up to 130 or 135, so Top Rank can make that fight,” said Mannix on his wish for the Robeisy vs. Stevenson rematch to take place in the pros.
“When he was in the gym with me, and we were shadow boxing and training, they got like a video of us, we were four lbs away from each other,” said Shakur about him and Ramirez being close to the same weight.
“He told people his weight, and I thought to myself, ‘We’re close to the same weight.’ So if it came down to it, I would definitely be down for it, but I know he’s a little guy. He’s not getting no bigger. He’s going to stay at 126 for as long as I can, but I’ll be at 135 for a really long time,” said Stevenson talking about Robeisy.
