Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) got back to his winning ways with a scorching seventh-round knockout over Brandon Leon Benitez (21-3, 9 KOs) in featherweight action on Saturday night at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
Ramirez, the former WBO featherweight champion, landed a left uppercut in round seven that put Benitez down. The fight was stopped at 2:46 of the round.
Benitez Overwhelmed by Ramirez’s Skill
Benitez was out of his depth against Robeisy and couldn’t penetrate the Cuban talent’s airtight defense. By the midpoint of the fight, things looked bleak for Benitez because his face was bloody, and he wasn’t taking too much punishment.
The victory paved the way for the two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy to face WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza next. This fighter beat him last December by a twelve-round majority decision in a grueling contest.
Ramirez Reflects on Knockout Win
“There’s no better trainer than Ismael Salas. The last round, he told me, ‘Just touch him, make him move, and when you get an opportunity, get him,’ and that’s exactly what happened,” said Robeisy Ramirez to Top Rank Boxing, reflecting on his seventh-round knockout win over Brandon Leon Benitez on Saturday night.
Benitez had nothing left by the time the seventh round started, and he was there to be hit by Robeisy, who connected with almost everything he threw against the Mexican fighter.
“When the punch opened up, I saw the opening, and I took it. It’s not the first time I’ve landed a punch like that, but when you see your opponent fall in that fashion, that just means the job is complete, and I came here to do what I came to do,” said Robeisy about his knockout uppercut in the seventh round.
Even before the seventh, Robeisy was hitting Benitez with scary-looking shots in rounds four through six and having his way against the easy-to-hit fighter.
“My goal is to unify the belts, but first, I got to get a belt. If I get that rematch with Rafael Espinoza, that’s job one and then I have the opportunity to unify,” said Robeisy.
The rematch will be there for Robeisy if he wants to face Espinoza again. It’s up to him, and you can’t blame him if he passes on fighting him again. The 6’1″ Espinoza is really tall, and a nightmare for anyone to fight.
“Shu-Shu [Carrington] is a friend of mine. I just said hi to him. If he is on the list of opponents for me, I’ll gladly take that fight,” said Robeisy.