Ramirez-Dogboe will air live on ESPN+
TULSA, Okla. – Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy “El Tren” Ramírez will lock horns with Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe in a 12-round showdown for the vacant interim WBO featherweight world title Saturday, April 1, at Hard Rock Live inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. The Hard Rock event will also air live on ESPN+.
In the eight-round co-feature, Puerto Rican sensation Xander Zayas looks to extend his unbeaten record against nine-year veteran Ronald “Diablo” Cruz. Featherweight contender Joet Gonzalez, U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson, Tulsa-born heavyweight prospect Jeremiah Milton, and the Jahi Tucker-Nikoloz Sekhniashvili junior middleweight clash are scheduled in undercard action.
The fight card’s first bell will ring at 5 p.m., with the headlining bout beginning at 10 p.m. Tickets start at $49.50 and are on sale now at tickets.hardrockcasinotulsa.
Ramirez (11-1, 7 KOs), from Cienfuegos, Cuba, went from losing his pro debut in August 2019 to one of the division’s top contenders in 2023. Ranked No. 3 by the WBO, Ramirez had a breakthrough in 2022, knocking out Irishman Eric Donovan, the previously unbeaten Abraham Nova, and Mexican veteran Jose Matias Romero. Ramirez has knocked out five of his past six foes, a stunning power surge he hopes carries over to Oklahoma. He is considered one of the greatest boxers ever to emerge from the famed Cuban amateur system and hopes to author a career-best victory in Tulsa.
Dogboe (24-2, 15 KOs) has a rapid championship rise at junior featherweight, but he lost his title and career momentum with back-to-back defeats to Emanuel Navarrete. He overhauled his camp following the Navarrete loss, linking up with decorated trainer Barry Hunter at Headbangers Boxing Gym in Washington, D.C. The Dogboe/Hunter partnership has resulted in four consecutive victories, including majority decisions over Adam Lopez and Christopher Diaz. He earned a shot at the interim title with last July’s split decision over Joet Gonzalez, a toe-to-toe battle in Hinckley, Minnesota, that ranked among the year’s best action fights. Dogboe, from Anyako, Ghana, represented his homeland at the 2012 London Olympics and spent much of his childhood in London.
Undercard bouts include:
- In an eight-round grudge match, Jahi Tucker (9-0, 5 KOs) will make his junior middleweight debut against Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (8-1, 6 KOs). Tucker called for a fight against Zayas, but he must first face Zayas’ training partner, a former amateur standout from the nation of Georgia. Sekhniashvili returned from a 15-month layoff last November to stop the previously unbeaten David Rodriguez in three rounds.
- Two-time world title challenge Joet Gonzalez (25-3, 13 KOs), from Glendora, California, returns against Mexican veteran Jose Enrique Vivas (22-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight firefight. Gonzalez looks to rebound from last July’s tight split decision defeat to Dogboe. Despite the Dobgoe setback, Gonzalez is still ranked in the top 10 of the WBC and WBO featherweight rankings. Vivas kept his title hopes alive last August with a split decision over Edy Valencia.
- Junior welterweight phenom Tiger Johnson (7-0, 5 KOs), who represented the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics, fights in his first second scheduled eight-rounder against an opponent to be named. Johnson stopped Harry Gigliotti in five rounds at Hard Rock Tulsa last August.
- Cleveland-born lightweight Abdullah Mason (6-0, 5 KOs) makes his 2023 debut in a six-rounder. Mason fought at Hard Rock Tulsa last August, outlasting the game Angel Rebollar en route to a four-round decision win.
- Light heavyweight prospect Dante Benjamin Jr. (5-0, 3 KOs), from Cleveland, Ohio, aims to continue his knockout momentum in a six-rounder. Benjamin opened his 2023 campaign in January with a first-round stoppage over Emmanueal Austin.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa is the flagship property of Cherokee Nation Entertainment. From signature restaurants and gaming to award-winning live entertainment, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa offers the best amenities in Oklahoma. Information on upcoming shows at Hard Rock Live, Track 5., Riff’s and Amp Bar is available online at www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com
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