Robeisy Ramirez will get his first crack at a world title on Saturday, facing former 122 lb titlist Isaac Dogboe in an ESPN+ main event for the vacant WBO featherweight title.
Will two-time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez (11-1, 7 KO) continue his rise, or can Dogboe (24-2, 15 KO) become a two-weight world champion?
Scott Christ (24-14)
I like Isaac Dogboe. Good fighter, seems a likable sort (I don’t know him personally so I generally leave it at “seems”), great spirit in the ring. But if you listened to this week’s podcast or have paid much attention to anything I’ve said about him for almost 11 years now, you know how much I think of Robeisy Ramirez.
I think Dogboe will have his usual will to win, but it’s just not going to work for him against Ramirez, who is too skilled and has developed his pro style enough that he’s quite possibly the best fighter currently in the featherweight division.
Wil Esco (27-11)
It’s sort of easy to root for Isaac Dogboe considering he fits the bill of an underdog who always looks tiny in the ring but puts on a big display of tremendous heart. Robeisy Ramirez won’t exactly tower over Dogboe in this matchup, but I do think he’s best suited to pull off this fight considering where they both are in their respective careers. Ramirez is still fresh, and while I think Dogboe has bounced back from his Navarette beatings pretty well, I think Ramirez’s craft and deep amatuer experience will give him the advantage.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Ramirez will need to be dialed-in for this fight and be willing to get gritty because Dogboe is simply not the type to just roll over. Dogboe will ask questions of Ramirez, but my gut tells Ramirez will be ready with some answers. Ramirez UD-12
John Hansen (29-9)
There’s no fake motivational story more played out in sports than “NOBODY BELIEVED IN US!!!” Here in the USA, both the college football team that repeated as champions and the NFL team that won their second Super Bowl in four years insisted that NOBODY BELIEVED IN THEM.
Really, though, nobody ever believes in Isaac Dogboe anymore. He’s generally well-liked, he’s respected for his talent and tenacity… But, everyone actually does doubt him since his move up to 126 pounds. Even I, after writing 400 words about how much I enjoy him, predicted he’d get knocked out by Adam Lopez. Turned out in that fight, and every one since then, he did enough to take two out of three cards and claim victory. The guy just grinds his way through adversity and wins fights he seems like he couldn’t.
I’m ready to be embarrassed one more time, because I’m going with Robeisy Ramirez. If Dogboe can pull this one off? I’ll never doubt him again. Go ahead and mark him down as the ultimate survivor, the last man standing, the indomitable supreme ruler over a post-nuclear wasteland of Twinkies and cockroaches. Ramirez UD-12
Patrick Stumberg (29-9)
Beating the technically superior and potentially heavier-handed Ramirez would be a tall task even if the two had identical proportions, and “El Tren’s” four-inch reach advantage just pushes that even closer to the threshold between improbable and impossible. The only way I see Ramirez losing is if those three straight finishes give him tunnel vision in pursuit of a one-punch finish, and even then, it’d be an uphill task for Dogboe. More likely, his accuracy, length, and fluidity will keep Dogboe from unleashing the latter’s signature flurries while Ramirez slams home enough left hands to force a stoppage. Ramirez TKO-9