What a disastrous professional debut means for Olympic champ Robeisy Ramirez

Make no mistake: Featherweight Robeisy Ramirez’s loss in his skilled debut was an abject catastrophe. There isn’t a sugarcoating this practice wreck.

Ramirez, 25, was one of the heralded fighters to show professional in years. His combat Saturday in Philadelphia was designed to be a showcase, a completely nonthreatening combat. So it got here as an utter shock that the hand-picked Adan Gonzales (5-2-2, 2 KOs), 22, of Denver, dropped him with a clear left hand within the opening seconds of the bout and went on to smack him round for a lot of the 4 rounds en path to a cut up choice that ought to have been unanimous (40-35 and 39-36 for Gonzales and an unconscionable 38-37 for Ramirez).

The southpaw Ramirez was a massively adorned novice who gained back-to-back Olympic gold medals for Cuba in 2012 and 2016 earlier than defecting and signing with Prime Rank with fanfare earlier this 12 months. As an novice, he scored Olympic wins over Shakur Stevenson (within the 2016 gold medal match) and Tugstsogt Nyambayar (within the 2012 gold medal match). They’re each now unbeaten professionals and obligatory world title challengers with enormous futures. Ramirez additionally notched Olympic wins over two different unbeaten professionals on the quick monitor: Michael Conlan and Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who’s going to problem Daniel Roman for his unified junior featherweight world title on Sept. 13.

The extent of upset Gonzales pulled off can’t be overstated.

Former two-division world champion Timothy Bradley Jr., working as an analyst for the ESPN+ broadcast, was rightly laborious on Ramirez and coach Rob Mendez.

“He’ll need to get himself a brand new coaching crew. He was not prepared for this debut,” Bradley opined. “He regarded horrible in there. He regarded drained from the second spherical and he acquired beat down. It isn’t over for him. The child acquired some expertise. He does. I see some expertise however he must be taught the correct means. He must get with a superb crew, a superb coach, somebody that is aware of the game properly.”

The questions on Ramirez’s preparedness for the combat are affordable as a result of he hardly ever used his jab, appeared to haven’t any specific recreation plan and — regardless of the knockdown — confirmed zero urgency, which is hard to beat in a four-round bout. It stays to be seen if Ramirez will blame Mendez and discover a new coach. It is going to even be fascinating to see if he can rebound mentally from such a mind-blowing and crushing defeat.

Nevertheless, there have been some notable fighters who’ve additionally misplaced their professional debuts and in the end discovered boxing success — even greatness. These fighters might not have had the expectations held on Ramirez as a result of they weren’t elite amateurs, however the listing of these fighters would possibly carry consolation to Staff Ramirez. It is going to remind them that one loss, irrespective of how horrendous, doesn’t imply the dream is over.

Probably the most important of these fighters is Henry Armstrong, who not solely misplaced his professional debut by third-round knockout however misplaced 4 of his first 5 fights. Armstrong in the end held the featherweight, light-weight and welterweight world titles within the late 1930s, when there was just one world title in every division and there have been solely eight weight lessons in boxing. He’s ranked by many as No. 2 on the all-time pound-for-pound listing behind Sugar Ray Robinson.

Listed below are a number of others:

Bernard Hopkins misplaced a majority four-round choice in his professional debut and went on to set the report for many consecutive middleweight title defenses (20). He additionally gained the sunshine heavyweight world title throughout a legendary profession.

Juan Manuel Marquez suffered a first-round disqualification loss in his professional debut and went on to change into one in every of Mexico’s all-time greatest, profitable world titles in 4 divisions (featherweight, junior light-weight, light-weight and junior welterweight) and interesting in a historic four-fight collection with Manny Pacquiao.

Wilfredo Vazquez misplaced a four-round choice in his professional debut and went on to win world titles at bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight as one in every of Puerto Rico’s greatest boxers.

England’s Johnny Nelson misplaced his first three fights — two by six-round choice, one by four-round choice — however went on to ultimately win a cruiserweight world title and make a division-record 13 defenses.

Mexico’s Orlando Salido misplaced his debut by fourth-round knockout however went on to win titles at featherweight and junior light-weight.

Mexico’s Pipino Cuevas acquired stopped within the second spherical of his debut however later gained a welterweight world title, which he held for 4 years. He was enshrined within the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame in 2002

Of right this moment’s energetic fighters, two stand out:

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, who suffered third-round knockout losses in his first two professional fights however turned a nationwide hero in Thailand and a two-time junior bantamweight titlist who twice conquered Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

Tevin Farmer suffered a fourth-round stoppage in his professional debut however is now a dominant junior light-weight titleholder.

If Ramirez can bounce again and attain the potential so many have seen in him, he might be in good firm.

Ortiz shines

Vergil Ortiz seems to be over his shoulder after he knocked down Antonio Orozco within the sixth spherical. Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

On the finish of 2018, I ranked Vergil Ortiz, then a junior welterweight, No. four on the highest prospect listing. It will by no means have been a stretch to make him No. 1.

Since then, Ortiz has notched three spectacular knockouts — together with two in opposition to his most formidable opponents in veteran former title challengers Mauricio Herrera and Antonio Orozco, neither of whom had ever been stopped. He is established himself not solely as a legit contender, but additionally as a possible pressure to reckoned with for a very long time.

At 21, Ortiz (14-Zero, 14 KOs) could also be one of the best and most fun younger fighter in boxing. It is a label he embellished on Saturday night time when he broke down Orozco (28-2, 17 KOs), 31, of San Diego, whose solely earlier defeat got here in a hard-fought choice loss to Jose Ramirez 11 months in the past.

Orozco gave Ortiz a superb motion combat and made him work laborious for the win, however the youthful, brisker, sooner and extra highly effective Ortiz was simply an excessive amount of. He used an influence jab and an assortment of hooks and proper arms to make Orozco pay. Though Orozco pushed Ortiz past the fifth spherical for the primary time, Ortiz’s stamina didn’t appear to be any concern. The tip got here rapidly when he scored three knockdowns within the sixth spherical: a left uppercut dropping him to a knee, an accumulation of photographs to ship him to a knee once more and eventually a cracking left hook that despatched him to his rear and brought on referee Mark Calo-oy to wave it off at 2 minutes, 16 seconds.

Whereas Canelo Alvarez is the most important star within the Golden Boy Promotions secure, the Robert Garcia-trained Ortiz may be very clearly a very powerful up-and-coming fighter within the firm.

What’s refreshing about Ortiz is his humility. He scored a formidable knockout win over an excellent opponent and was not happy.

“I will be sincere. I do not like the way in which I did within the combat,” he mentioned. “I do not even know what number of rounds we went, that is how into the combat I used to be, however the first three, 4 rounds, I may have performed means higher. I positively have a good distance as a boxer to succeed in that world champion standing. However we’ll preserve making these enhancements and we’ll study from this combat.”

The reality is that he doesn’t have that lengthy of a approach to go.

The following step: Golden Boy president Eric Gomez mentioned the plan is to carry Ortiz again in November or December, presumably on Alvarez’s subsequent undercard. “We are going to preserve shifting him up the rankings,” Gomez mentioned. My view is that the way in which Ortiz can combat, that course of mustn’t take too lengthy.

Fights you might need missed

Saturday at San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico

Gentle heavyweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (51-Three-1, 33 KOs) KO1 Evert Bravo (25-11-1, 19 KOs)

Former middleweight world titlist Chavez, 33, of Mexico, had not been within the ring since his disappointing non-effort in a shutout choice loss to Canelo Alvarez of their tremendous middleweight combat in Could 2017. Many thought on the time Chavez ought to retire provided that he didn’t seem remotely taken with really preventing. Nonetheless, after the lengthy layoff, Chavez returned to face soft-touch Bravo, 34, of Colombia, and blew him away with ease. Together with his legendary father, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., watching at ringside, Chavez took out Bravo together with his greatest punch, a left hook to the liver. Bravo sank to his knees and took the complete depend from referee Guadalupe Garcia at 1:22.

Bravo suffered his 10th knockout loss in his 11 defeats and misplaced for the fourth time in his final 5 fights — all by knockout inside two rounds. Chavez doubtlessly may parlay his profitable return right into a a lot greater combat this fall with former middleweight titlist Daniel Jacobs, who plans to maneuver up in weight following his way more aggressive loss to Alvarez in Could.