By Ian S Palmer
WBO Featherweight Champion Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba defends the belt for the first time this Tuesday, July 25th when he takes on Satoshi Shimizu of Japan. The 12-rounder from Ariake Arena in Tokyo is on the undercard of the Stephen Fulton vs Naoya Inoue tilt and can be seen live in America on ESPN+ starting at 4:30 am ET. Fans in the UK and Ireland can catch the bout on Sky Sports Action and those in Australia can see it on Main Event. Ramirez last fought in April when he beat Isaac Dogboe by unanimous decision to take the vacant belt. Shimizu last saw action in December when he stopped Landy Cris Leon after two rounds.
The 29-year-old southpaw Ramirez now fights out of Las Vegas and has gone 80 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019. He’s best known for his excellent amateur career which saw him win the Cuban National Championships as well as win gold at the 2010 AIBA Youth Championships and Youth Olympic Games as the 2011 Pan American Games, 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games and at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
After winning so much as an amateur, including two Olympic golds, Ramirez came out cold in his pro debut as he was dropped in the first round and lost an embarrassing four-round split decision to Adan Gonzales. Since then he’s won all 12 of his fights with seven stoppages and beat Gonzales via a six-round unanimous decision in their rematch in July, 2020. He stepped up in class against Isaac Dogboe the last time out, dropped him in the 12th round and won a wide unanimous decision.
Ramirez has captured the vacant NABO Jr Featherweight title as a pro as well as the vacant WBO Global, and IBF USBA Featherweight Belts. He stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 68-inch reach and has decent power with a current knockout ratio of 53.9 per cent and has stopped three of his last four opponents. Ramirez has all the tools to be a successful pro as he combines skill, speed and power with a high ring IQ. However, he learned after his pro debut that he needs to work hard at his craft instead of taking anything for granted.
As for Shimizu, he’s also a southpaw, but enters the ring at the advanced age of 37. He’s boxed just 63 rounds since turning pro in 2016 following a successful amateur career. Shimizu boxed at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England and took home a bronze medal after losing on points to Luke Campbell in the bantamweight division after beating Isaac Dogboe and Magomed Abdulhamidov. He also won bronze at the 2009 Asian Games and fought at the 2008 Olympics but lost a controversial decision in his first fight. As a pro, he sits at an impressive 11-1 with 10 Ko’s to his name.
Shimizu’s lone loss as a pro came at the hands of Joe Noynay back in July, 2019 when he was stopped in the sixth round in a shot at the WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight Title. Shimizu won the Oriental and Pacific Featherweight Belt in 2017 when he halted Sa Myung Noh in the fifth round and has defended it six times. He also picked up the WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight Crown with his 12-round unanimous decision victory over Musashi Mori in May, 2021.
As far as power is concerned, Shimizu has plenty of it as his current knockout ratio clocks in at 83.3 per cent and he’s gone the distance just once in his pro career. There’s no question Shimizu’s power has gotten him this far as a pro, but he also has fine boxing skills. He’s quite tall for a featherweight as he measures 5-feet-11-inches tall with a 71.5-inch reach. This give him a five-inch height advantage over Ramirez as well as a 3.5-inch edge in reach.
Prediction…
Shimizu is a former second lieutenant of the Japanese Army and has a decided edge in power and reach but he’s eight years older than Ramirez but doesn’t quite match the champion when it comes to pure boxing skills and speed. Shimizu will need to use his size to keep Ramirez at a distance and constantly let his hands go or he’s going to be outboxed. I can see this being an interesting fight for a few rounds but expect Ramirez to eventually take over thanks to his superior boxing skills.
