March 29, 2023 9:15 pm ET
Two-time Olympic champion Robeisy Ramirez and former 122-pound titleholder Isaac Dogboe will vie for a vacant 126-pound title Saturday.
ROBEISY RAMIREZ (11-1, 7 KOS)
VS. ISAAC DOGBOE (24-2, 15 KOS)
- Date: Saturday, April 1
- Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- TV/Stream: ESPN+
- Division: Featherweight (126 pounds)
- At stake: Vacant WBO title
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Ramirez 5½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Joet Gonzalez vs. Jose Enrique Vivas, featherweights
- Prediction: Ramirez UD
- Background: Ramirez, the two-time Olympic champion from Cuba, lost a stunning split decision to journeyman Adan Gonzalez in his four-round pro debut in 2019 but has been untouchable since (including a shutout decision over Gonzalez in a rematch). The slick 29-year-old southpaw is coming off a ninth-round knockout of veteran Jose Matias Romero last October. He will be fighting for his first major title. Dogboe, a former 122-pound beltholder, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. The 28-year-old from Ghana appeared to hit his ceiling when he lost his title to Emanuel Navarrete by a unanimous decision in December 2018 and then was stopped by Navarrete in the 12th round of the rematch the following May. He then moved up to 126 and has won four consecutive fights, including a split decision over capable Joet Gonzalez last July to earn him a shot at another belt.
