Former WBO featherweight champion joins new promoter following free agency period

Robeisy Ramirez has signed with Raizd Boxing after leaving Top Rank earlier this year. The deal was announced Monday on the company’s Instagram page.

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Raizd posted: “Official: Robeisy ‘El Tren’ Ramirez signs with RAIZD BOXING. A world-class addition. Former WBO Featherweight World Champion. Two-time Olympic gold medalist. Welcome to the team, Robeisy.”

The signing gives the new company an immediate recognizable name as it prepares to stage its first events. It also comes after no public move from larger promotional outfits once Ramirez became available.

The Cuban southpaw lost two of his last three fights to Rafael Espinoza, including a sixth-round stoppage in their rematch last December.

You have a guy with one of the most decorated amateur pedigrees in history, yet the mad stampede never materialized from the four major promotional companies. Usually, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist is treated like promotional royalty, but several factors turned Robeisy into a proceed with caution sign for the major players.

In the eyes of many promoters and fans, the ending of the Rafael Espinoza rematch in December 2024 was a disaster for his marketability.

Whether he had genuine double vision from a thumb or an elbow, stopping the fight himself in the 6th round while ahead on two scorecards left a bad taste. In a sport that fetishizes dying on your shield, that finish gave the big promoters a reason to hesitate on a 32-year-old fighter.

Espinoza is a 6’1″ giant at featherweight. But the problem for Robeisy is that at 32, he doesn’t have time for a three-year rebuilding project. Promoters saw him struggle twice with a specific type of length and volume. If you’re a Top Rank or a Matchroom, you’re asking: “If he can’t beat the top guy in his own division, and he’s not a massive ticket seller, why am I paying him champion-level money?”

He still carries enough ability and name recognition to become a useful addition for a company trying to build quickly.

Raizd saw the opportunity and moved first. If Ramirez can rebuild with a few wins, other promoters may look back at this signing differently.