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Robeisy Ramirez Defeats Isaac Dogboe To Capture WBO
Featherweight World Title
Cuba crowned a new world champion tonight.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez
(12-1, 7 KOs) captured the vacant WBO featherweight world
title with a unanimous decision victory over former junior
featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe
(24-3, 15 KOs) Saturday evening at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tulsa.
After an opening feel out round, the 29-year-old wobbled
Dogboe with a counter left hand that began a relentless
attack. The two then exchanged bombs in the following round,
while Dogboe began landing body shots in the fourth.
By the sixth round, however, Ramirez established control and
landed consecutive left hands on Dogboe. From then on,
Ramirez’s footwork and feints began to keep Dogboe at bay,
while additional left hands kept finding a home.
Ramirez scored a knockdown in the final round, though Dogboe
disputed the call as a slip. Nevertheless, Ramirez, who is
trained by Ismael Salas, won going away champion by scores
of 117-110, 118-109 and 119-108.
Ramirez said, "I’m living a new stage in my life. This is a
new history that I’m writing, and I did everything I had to
do. As an Olympian, I won two Olympic gold medals, and now I
can call myself a champion.”
“All the respect to a warrior like Isaac Dogboe. He has my
admiration, and all it took was me listening to this genius,
Ismael Salas, because I did that, and he led me to victory.
“I believe things happened for a reason. If it wasn’t for
that loss in my pro debut, I would have never ended up with
Ismael Salas. Yordenis Ugas never would’ve told me, ‘You
have to move to Vegas, you have to change your life,’ and I
never would have gotten this team together to be where I am
today."
Dogboe said, "Let’s run it back. That’s all I have to say.
He’s a great fighter."
Joet Gonzalez Beats Jose Enrique Vivas
Featherweight contender Joet Gonzalez (26-3, 15 KOs) needed
another win tonight to keep his hopes alive for another
world title opportunity, and Jose Enrique Vivas wasn’t going
to make things easy for him. Indeed, the 29-year-old native
of Glendora, California, had to work in each second of every
round of tonight’s ten-rounder to earn the unanimous
decision.
Gonzalez and Vivas (22-3, 11 KOs) spent the entire fight in
the center of the ring, exchanging short hooks, overhand
rights and uppercuts at close range. In the later rounds,
Gonzalez began using his jab and created some distance, but
not for long.
Gonzalez prevailed by scores of 98-92 2x and 99-91,
preserving his chances of earning a third title shot. He
fell short by decision in previous title challenges to
Shakur Stevenson and Emanuel Navarrete.
Junior Middleweights: Jahi Tucker (10-0, 5 KOs) went
toe-to-toe for eight rounds against the much bigger and
stronger Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (8-2, 6 KOs) before winning
via unanimous decision. Sekhniashvili pressed the action
early and forced Tucker to fight on the outside, where ate
many shots as he tried to find his composure. Tucker found
his rhythm and swept the later rounds. Scores: 77-74 3x.
Heavyweights: Jeremiah Milton (9-0, 6 KOs) delivered his
first hometown performance in eight months with a wide
points victory against Brazil’s Fabio Maldonado (29-7, 28
KOs). Maldonado, an experienced MMA fighter, made the fight
awkward and often closed the distance with his head, for
which he was deducted a point in the sixth round. Scores:
78-72 and 80-70 2x.
Junior Welterweights: U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (8-0, 5
KOs) demonstrated his counterpunching ability with an
eight-round unanimous decision victory over Alfonso Olvera
(12-8-3, 4 KOs). Johnson, who was rocked in the opening
round, nearly sent Olvera to the canvas with a right hand in
the sixth round. Scores: 80-72 3x.
Light Heavyweights: Cleveland light heavyweight standout
Dante Benjamin Jr. (6-0, 4 KOs) dropped Jasper McCargo III
(4-4-2, 2 KOs) four times before knocking him out late in
the second. Time of stoppage: 2:58.
Lightweights: Emiliano Fernando Vargas (4-0, 3 KOs) defeated
Edgar Uvalle (2-4-2, 2 KOs) via second-round knockout.
Vargas, with his father and trainer Fernando Vargas in his
corner, gradually wore Uvalle down with hooks and right
hands to the head and body. Time of stoppage: 1:21.
Lightweights: Cleveland’s Abdullah Mason (7-0, 6 KOs)
landing a thunderous counter right hook to drop and finish
Erick Garcia Benitez (4-4, 1 KO) at 1:32 of the first round.
Mason, at only 18 years old, is one of the sports
fastest-rising prospects.
Junior Welterweights: Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (9-0,
5 KOs) dominated Ricardo Quiroz (12-2, 6 KOs) over six
rounds of action to win by unanimous decision. Scores: 60-54
3x.
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