Watch Ramirez Dogboe Live and Exclusively on ESPN+, Saturday, April 1 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT
By Craig Daly: Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez (11-1, 7 KOs) is confident of victory over former super bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe (24-2, 16 KOs) in their battle for the vacant WBO featherweight title this Saturday, April in the main event live on ESPN+ at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The four-year professional Ramirez, 29, is fighting for a world title for the first time in his short career against former WBO 122-lb champion Dogboe in a fight that should be interesting from start to finish.
In the co-feature bout, featherweight Joet Gonzalez will battle Enrique Vivas in a 10 round bout. Xander Zayes was originally scheduled for the co-feature bout Ronald Cruz, but he suffered an injury and had to be pulled.
WHAT TIME IS RAMIREZ VS. DOGBOE?
- Date: Saturday, April 1
- Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. BST
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 11:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 a.m. BST
- Viewers in the U.S. can watch the fight live on ESPN+
- Sky Sports has been named the UK broadcaster for this fight.
- The fight will take place at the Hard Rock Casino in Tusla, Oklahoma, United States.
- The main card is set to get underway at 8:00 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. BST with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 11:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 a.m. BST.
“Once I get the opportunity to unify, I think it’s going to become fairly obvious who the best featherweight is in the world, but right now I’m not going to get into that. I’m going to let the results speak for themselves,” said Robeisy Ramirez to Fighthype when asked if he’s the best featherweight in the world.
“Let’s wait until April 1st. I want to have that [WBO 126-lb] strap on my shoulder and my hand raised. Of course, there are different experiences, the amateurs and the pros. I can’t get ahead of myself until I win that belt, and once I do, I can come back and compare emotions and experiences, but yeah, I’ll answer that question.
“Ismael Salas has definitely helped a lot in that transition from the amateurs to the pros in terms of my boxing and whatnot. But in terms of me sitting down on my punches, I also have to give credit to my strength & conditioning, Larry Wade, and the rest of the team.
“They all contributed to this transition, and what I’ve been able to show fight after fight after I’ve assembled this routine.
“If he comes looking for the left hand, he’s definitely going to find it,” said Robeisy about Dogboe. “I haven’t really decided with Salas, yet what I’m going to do between those two options you laid out, but regardless, he’s going to meet that left hand,” said Robeisy when asked if he plans on fighting Dogboe on the inside or the outside.
“It’s definitely a different stage from the amateur [to the pros]. We’ve both have changed speaking on Shakur more so than Andy [Cruz]. He’s [Shakur Stevenson] has gone up in weight and has done great things in boxing. He’s looking very good in his career.
“That I was the last one to beat him in the amateurs, I really don’t like to keep dwelling on that. The results speak for themselves. We have a good relationship. We’re difficult fighters doing different things now, and again, I have a good relationship with him and wish him nothing but the best.
“I definitely think he can. I think Shakur can move up in weight and be successful against all those names you mentioned. He’s put on the muscle and he’s very young. I believe he’s 25 years old. So there’s a lot of room for improvement there.
“Even in my case, I’m a few years older than Shakur, and even my own body is changing and growing into myself. I think at most 135,” said Robeisy when asked how high he can go in weight.
“Who knows? I don’t think it’ll happen, but it could,” Robeisy said about him one day moving up two weight classes to lightweight to fight Shakur in a rematch.
“It’s possible he’ll go down. We just have to see how the first couple of rounds play out and then I’ll know for sure,” said Robeisy on whether he’ll knock Dogboe down. “I still haven’t sat down with my trainer to discuss with him what we’re doing from a tactical standpoint.
“Once that’s done, then I’ll have a clear picture on how this is going to pan out. I’ll just add to that’s how the last three knockouts went. They saw it coming. Yeah, it’s possible, very possible.
“It all depends on how the fight pans out. You’re right. These are styles that are difficult. Not just for me but for anybody. It might be a good idea to give them some of their own medicine.
“Some of these fighters when they respond that way, you start wearing them down and find that hole, and it changes the narrative of the fight.,” said Robeisy.
RAMIREZ DOGBOE CARD
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(ESPN+, 7:10 p.m. ET / 4:10 p.m. PT)
• Robeisy Ramirez 125.6 lbs vs. Isaac Dogboe 124.6 lbs
(Vacant WBO Featherweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
• Joet Gonzalez 126.2 lbs vs. Jose Enrique Vivas 126.2 lbs
(Featherweight — 10 Rounds)
• Jahi Tucker 151.8 lbs vs. Nikoloz Sekhniashvili 150.2 lbs
(Junior Middleweight — 8 Rounds)
• Jeremiah Milton 255.8 lbs vs. Fabio Maldonado 215.8 lbs
(Heavyweight — 8 Rounds)
• Tiger Johnson 142.8 lbs vs. Alfonso Olvera 142.8 lbs
(Junior Welterweight — 8 Rounds)
• Dante Benjamin Jr. 175 lbs vs. Jasper McCargo 177.4 lbs
(Light Heavyweight— 6 Rounds)
• Emiliano Fernando Vargas 133 lbs vs. Edgar Uvalle 132.2 lbs
(Lightweight— 4 Rounds)
• Abdullah Mason 135.2 lbs vs. Erick Garcia Benitez 135.4 lbs
(Lightweight— 6 Rounds)
• Rohan Polanco 142.4 lbs vs. Ricardo Quiroz 142.6 lbs
(Junior Welterweight — 6 Rounds)