Robeisy Ramírez: The Interview
Cuba is renowned for producing a long list of amateur boxing standouts, and few are more decorated than two-weight Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramírez - the latest star to make the switch to professional boxing.
After kicking off his pro career with a rocky start (a shock loss to little-known Adan Gonzales on his debut) Ramírez has won four straight and took revenge over Gonzales last month.
Now working with legendary trainer Ismael Salas (former coach of Jorge Linares & Yuriorkis Gamboa), Ramírez is gradually returning to his best form with an eye on a potential world title shot down the line.
Promotional giant Top Rank—who Ramírez inked a deal with in 2019—are expecting big things from the Cuban sensation. Bob Arum has already compared him to fellow two-time gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko, one of the pound-for-pound best on the planet right now, and believe he has the style and pedigree to become a star. At just 26 years old, time is still on Ramírez’s side and the future looks bright for a fighter who is starting to grow in confidence as a professional. In a Fight Site exclusive, I had the honour of interviewing Robeisy myself and talking to him about his experiences in the amateurs, life in Cuba and his thoughts on the 126lbs division.
On his beginnings in boxing:
“I actually started boxing because my schoolmates and friends were into boxing, and they got me into it. I was never too fond of watching boxing, both as a kid and even these days, but I took a liking to fighting straight away. Little by little, I began to improve and was invited to join the High Performance Youth School. Shortly after that, I started to compete both nationally and internationally and won a handful of junior titles including the Pan-American Cadet Championships in 2009.
The following year, I became the first Youth Olympic Champion from Cuba & won gold at the AIBA Youth World Championships as a 16 year-old. I was then called up to the senior squad and soon became the team’s number-one at 52 kilos.”
On his breakthrough triumph at London 2012:
“The year before, at the 2011 AIBA World Championships in Azerbaijan, I managed to qualify for the Olympics after reaching the third round where I lost to Russia’s Mikhail Aloyan (who went on to become world champion). The tournament was a very good experience for me ahead of London, as was winning the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara.
At the start of 2012 my form wasn’t so good - I lost in all international competitions except for Córdova Cardín in Havana. And whilst I arrived in London very well prepared, I was not considered one of the favorites to medal because I was only 18 and wasn’t well-known. I was confident I could win all five matches however, due to the quality of my preparation and my aggressive style. When I finally took gold, it was still surprising though - a very crazy and happy moment for me!”
On his slump in form post-2012:
“After London I moved up in weight to 56 kilos because it was becoming increasingly difficult to make flyweight and I was still growing. Unfortunately I trained very little after the Olympics, I was not motivated and didn’t pay attention to international competitions. When I competed at the 2013 World Championships in Kazakhstan, I had hardly prepared for the event which was the reason for my poor performance. In the 2015 World Championships, the Cuban boxing federation chose to take Andy Cruz instead despite the fact I had beaten him the year before.”
On issues in Cuba and why more amateur stars are switching to the pro’s:
“I had very little motivation at times because of the problems in Cuba - there were large periods where I didn’t train. For me, it’s important that they take care of you and in the current system, they don’t. I think many don’t leave out of fear, because they know that things are getting worse everyday and that they have no future. But they prefer to stay rather than go out and look for another life, because it is all they know. Right now, the country’s economy is in very bad shape and the average Cuban is struggling to get by. Many are desperate - I even had to sell my two Olympic gold medals in order to make ends meet.
There are issues with the amateur system too: things are not attended to and you have to strictly do what the bosses say. If you disobey them, they punish you. I was restricted from seeing my parents and my daughter at times, and some promises they made were not kept. You are not valued as a person, just as another product of the Cuban system.
(Taylor: I suggested that perhaps globalisation and the emergence of social media has made the Cuban people more conscious of their own economic hardships in comparison to other nations)
Exactly, the people as well as the athletes are realizing the truth about the regime, and that everything is a lie. Both the government and the authorities of the sport, not just boxing, are bad. This is why an increasing number of people are leaving.”
On his own defection from Cuba:
“We planned to leave three or four weeks before. I was in Germany for a tournament and had problems there with the boxing manager, and so I phoned a friend of a friend in Florida who I’d heard could help me leave. She could not help me in Germany, but when I told her I was going to Mexico shortly after with the Cuban national team for a training camp, she managed to help me get away. Around six months after leaving Cuba, I finally received a visa and arrived in the U.S. Fortunately those who helped me were good people, and I have had no issues with bad contracts or anything like that (as some other Cuban stars have unfortunately been hampered by).”
On adjusting to life in the United States:
“The truth is, adjusting hasn’t been too difficult because I’m used to spending the whole year travelling and for me it is just one more country. The only thing that hurts me is that I can’t see my daughter who is seven years old, nor my parents, sister, nephews and my friends. But I can support them better here financially, so I have no choice. I will wait for them, and perhaps someday they will come here or maybe I will be allowed to return.”
On his shock debut loss to Gonzales:
“Motivation was not a problem, that was only an issue in Cuba. In fact I feel very motivated here and want to continue growing. However in my debut I came into the fight with too much confidence, and the pressure resulted in me not performing to the best of my ability. The fight didn’t go as I wanted it to, of course, with the knockdown throwing me off my game-plan. But I have learned from the experience.”
On working with Ismael Salas, and what changes he’s made:
“Well there are many things to change now that I am a professional, and with Ismael Salas I am learning day by day. In amateur boxing it is very different - more movement, keeping on your toes and not sitting down on your punches as much. Now as a professional I am focusing on putting more power into my shots in order to do greater damage, and focusing on standing my ground in the center of the ring. Adjusting to twelve rounds instead of three has not been too difficult, it is just a matter of good preparation but I am confident in my trainer and team.”
On who he thinks is the best at 126lbs, who he wants to fight in the future, and what his ‘dream’ fights would be:
“I think the best champion at 126lbs was Shakur Stevenson, but he has already moved up to 130lbs. The others - Warrington, Russell - are very good, but I’m ready to fight them if the opportunity arises. I think the defining fight for me would be either Shakur or Lomachenko, they would be superb fights. In my opinion Vasyl Lomachenko is the best boxer in the world right now, I hope to meet him in the ring one day. And who knows, maybe someone else will emerge in the future and that will be a big fight. We will see.”
His thoughts on Shakur Stevenson:
“He is a very good fighter, I respect him a lot, but when he is pressured intelligently he doesn’t know what to do sometimes. He has good movement, but cannot cope when dealing with aggressive fighters who are technically good. It’s been four years (since they fought) and I don’t think this has changed.”
On the toughest opponent he faced in the amateurs:
“Mikhail Aloyan. He beat me twice in 2011, and I never got the chance to avenge my defeat. He is very awkward, a difficult and frustrating opponent to fight. Andy Cruz was also a very strong opponent, even when I fought him in 2014 when he was only 19 years old. Right now, I think he is the best amateur boxer in the world and his results prove it.
I faced a number of very good fighters - Lázaro Álvarez, Shakur, Selby, Nyambayar, Conlan, Akhmadaliev… but for me Aloyan was the best.”
On whether we’ve seen his best yet in the pro’s:
“No. I am improving all the time, but I have not yet had a big fight to prove myself. I think that when I fight a top level opponent, it will bring out the best in me. All I need is an elite opponent, and then you will see the best version of me in my performance.”
Until this interview, I was beginning to have my doubts about Robeisy.
And these concerns weren’t without merit, either. Whilst his talent has never been in doubt (two Olympic golds and a 420-30 amateur record speaks for itself) questions regarding the Cuban dynamo’s dedication to the sport have long persisted, as evidenced by a disappointing exit in the quarter-finals of the 2013 World Championships and a handful of middling performances in the WSB.
Rumours of too much partying & ballooning up in weight in-between tournaments fueled my fear that without the watchful eye of the Cuban coaches, Robeisy’s lack of discipline would go unchecked and he would never realise his potential. After his disastrous debut and the uninspiring performances that followed, I thought that my worst fears had sadly been proven right.
Yet getting the chance to speak to Robeisy personally shed some light on his struggles in Cuba and made me view him in a completely different way. I soon realised that my initial assessment of Ramírez—a prodigiously gifted fighter who’s arrogance had led to complacency and laziness—couldn’t be further from the truth. The Cuban star was remarkably honest and introspective regarding his career so far, and came across humble throughout.
Even more encouragingly, he struck me as driven. Robeisy is a man who has made a number of very difficult sacrifices to be where he is, and he seems determined to capitalise on his chance and improve under new coach Ismael Salas. Although he’s self-admittedly not quite back to his best just yet, Ramírez’s most recent outing against former conqueror Adan Gonzales showed that he’s heading in the right direction.
When I watched an 18 year-old Robeisy blitz through a loaded flyweight field at London 2012, I knew I was watching a special fighter. Perhaps he peaked too early, or will never quite reach the lofty heights that his talent would suggest he’s capable of. But I’m very excited to see Ramírez continue to develop in the pro’s, with renewed hope that the best is yet to come. After everything he’s been through, he certainly deserves it.