Robeisy Ramirez has his next fight date scheduled for Saturday, December 9, when he faces Rafael Espinoza at Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The contest features Cuban WBO featherweight champion up against unbeaten contender of Mexico. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 12 rounds main event bout live on ESPN.
The co-feature pits unbeaten Puerto Rican Xander Zayas against Jorge Fortea of Spain. The pair goes toe-to-toe in the scheduled for 10 rounds bout at junior middleweight. The list of undercard bouts has been also announced today.
“We are thrilled to be back in South Florida with a loaded card featuring some incredibly talented fighters,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Ramirez has his hands full against an undefeated challenger who will not be deterred by the moment, and I know Xander Zayas wants to make a huge statement in front of his humongous South Florida fan base.”
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Robeisy Ramirez vs Rafael Espinoza
Las Vegas-based Robeisy Ramirez (13-1, 8 KOs) makes the second defense of his title and the third ring appearance for 2023. A two-time Olympic gold medalist last fought in July in Tokyo, where he dropped and stopped Satoshi Shimizu in the fifth round. The 29-year-old native of Cienfuegos, Cuba landed the vacant title in April in Tulsa, where he scored a unanimous decision against Isaac Dogboe.
“Miami is for many of us Cubans an important meeting point, where Spanish is spoken, our heritage is celebrated, and we remember our homeland daily through the city’s vibrant culture,” said Ramirez. “Ever since I turned professional, I have wanted to fight near my people of Miami, where I also live. That cherished moment has finally arrived. On December 9, at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, I hope to have the support of the Cuban community of Miami and to see our flag waving everywhere.”
Rafael Espinoza (21-0, 18 KOs) won his previous bout in July in Mexico City by knockout in the second round against Ally Mwerangi. In March, Guadalajara, Jalisco native fought in front of his hometown crowd and stopped Rafael Rosas Ramirez in the third round. The 29-year-old goes through the ropes for the third time in the U.S. and makes his first attempt to become world champion.
“I am happy and grateful for what is happening,” said Espinoza. “The time has come, the opportunity of my life, and I will not waste it. Robeisy is a great champion, and I am glad to face someone like him. I know we will have a great fight, and it will go down in boxing history. I am sure of it.”
Xander Zayas vs Jorge Fortea
Xander Zayas (17-0, 11 KOs) was in action in September, when he defeated Roberto Valenzuela Jr via fifth-round TKO. In June, Sunrise, Florida-based 21-year-old earned a unanimous decision against Ronald Cruz.
Jorge Fortea (24-3-1, 9 KOs) beat Ismael Flores by unanimous decision last time out in April. Prior to that, he KO’d Jaime Ramirez Dominguez in Round 3 and eliminated Sarkhan Babaev in seven rounds. The 32-year-old of Sueca, Valencia steps inside the ring in the U.S. for the second time in his career and looks for his fourth win in a row.
“I am super motivated to close the year with one more fight in which I will be able to continue demonstrating the progress of my skills and maturity as a fighter, which I have achieved thanks to the dedication and all the hard work in the gym,” said Zayas. “The goal on December 9 is to continue showing that I am prepared for the next step.”
Ramirez vs Espinoza undercard
Among the bouts featured on Ramirez vs Espinoza undercard, Bruce Carrington (9-0, 5 KOs) of Brownsville, Brooklyn goes up agaionst former world title challenger Jason Sanchez (16-4, 9 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 10 rounds bout at featherweight.
Also on the card, Jahi Tucker (10-1, 5 KOs) of Queens, New York takes on Francisco Daniel Veron (13-0, 10 KOs) of Argentina. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds at junior middleweight.
As well, Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (10-0, 6 KOs) clashes with Keith Hunter (15-1, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas. The contest is scheduled for eight rounds at junior welterweight.
Plus, unbeaten U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (10-0, 5 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio is back in the ring against Jimerr Espinosa (15-1, 14 KOs) of Mexico. The pair battles it out in an eight-round bout at junior weltwerweight.
In addition, Damian Knyba (12-0, 7 KOs) of Poland meets Scott Alexander (17-6-2, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles. The contest is scheduled for eight rounds at heavyweight.
Ramirez vs Espinoza fight card
The current Ramirez vs Espinoza fight card looks as the following:
Main card
- Robeisy Ramirez vs. Rafael Espinoza, 12 rounds, featherweight – Ramirez’s WBO featherweight title
- Xander Zayas vs. Jorge Fortea, 10 rounds, junior middleweight
Preliminary card
- Bruce Carrington vs. Jason Sanchez, 10 rounds, featherweight
- Jahi Tucker vs. Francisco Daniel Veron, 8 rounds, junior middleweight
- Rohan Polanco vs. Keith Hunter, 8 rounds, junior welterweight
- Tiger Johnson vs. Jimerr Espinosa, 8 rounds, junior welterweight
- Damian Knyba vs. Scott Alexander, 8 rounds, heavyweight
In the UK and Australia, Robeisy Ramirez vs Rafael Espinoza airs live on Sunday, December 10.
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