By Brian Webber: Tim Bradley wants to see a unification fight between WBO featherweight champion Robeisy Ramirez and IBF champ Luis Alberto Lopez next. Mark Kriegel & Bernardo Osuna of ESPN also want to see Robeisy & Lopez battle it out.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy would be the ideal fight for Top Rank to set up against Luis Lopez, as both fighters are with the same promotional company, making it an easy one to put together.
Robeisy is defending his recently won WBO featherweight title on November 4th against a still-to-be-determined opponent at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe.
Promoter Bob Arum expressed interest recently when asked about putting a unification fight together between the Cuban Robeisy (13-1, 8 KOs) and Lopez. It’s just a question of whether Arum wants to make that happen this year or in 2024.
Lopez (29-2, 16 KOs) defeated Joet Gonzalez last Friday night by a 12 round unanimous decision in an entertaining fight on ESPN from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christ, Texas.
Robeisy defeated Shakur Stevenson in the 2016 Olympics, leaving him in tears afterward with his victory.
Mark Kriegel: “He wants to unify against Robeisy. I would love to see that,” said Kriegel about Luis Alberto Lopez.
Bernardo Osuna: “What does the future hold if you see Leigh Wood, Rey Vargas, and Robeisy Ramirez? The easiest fight to make for Luis Alberto Lopez is Robeisy Ramirez.
“Obviously, it’s in-house [with Top Rank], and obviously because of the technical aptitude of Robeisy, a two-time Olympic champion and a southpaw. How do you see the future for Luis Alberto Lopez?”
Tim Bradley: “It’s bright, big fights ahead of him. He’s defying all the odds. I know he was the favorite this time around, but just with his skillset and his ability. Big fights coming soon at 126 lbs, but Robeisy Ramirez is a bad boy. He has a style of his own that I think he can give Lopez a challenge.”
Kriegel: “We saw in the backend of the [Lopez vs. Joet Gonzalez] fight, some of the lack of fundamentals, and some of the unorthodoxy was getting to him. Robeisy is a really well-schooled guy. Can he get away with that against a guy like Robeisy?”
Bradley: “I don’t think so, I really don’t think so. I think Robeisy is really technically sound, a well-schooled Cuban, has good feet of his own, can read and see openings like that, and he has firepower that you have to respect.
“So,I think it’s a great fight. I haven’t looked at film yet, but I think that’s the perfect guy that can take out a champion like Lopez and a southpaw too.”
Kriegel: “I think what’s going to happen is they’re [Top Rank] going to want [Ruben] Villa for Robeisy. If I’m Lopez and you’re not going to unify now, then feed me Villa because I want a slick southpaw before I go with Robeisy.”
