Should Robeisy Ramirez defect from Cuba and turn pro?

[kidbazooka]

Ramirez must be the youngest ever two time boxing gold medalist right?

Yup he is.

[CubanGuyNYC]

I rate him highly mate, I think he has a great mix of defence and offence, mixed with a massive skill set and ring intelligence. I have no doubt he could make it work if he has the right people around him and learns how to promote himself before its too late.

I loved watching him when he was in the London Olympics and have kept an eye out for him since, was looking forward to seeing him in Rio, I've still not got round to seeing him vs Stevenson yet, was looking forward to it but was busy when it was on, I remember being pissed when Conlan got robbed because him vs Stevenson would of been great and then the winner against Ramirez in the final - such a shame corruption ruined what could have been a good set of match ups.

As for fighting for Cuba, I got that vibe from the very few interviews there are of him, and the perception I get form their culture (you would know far more about that than me though, I'm just guessing really), and yeah I could imagine defecting at 22 would be difficult.

I first saw Robeisy at London 2012 myself. I was impressed, but, admitedly, not as impressed afterwards. I think Ramirez is very good; I just thought he'd have progressed more by now. I've seen some of his work since London, a couple of his WSB bouts and portions of the Stevenson fight. He doesn't seem as dominant as I'd like. I dunno...maybe I'm just being a "dad." Lol

It's a damn shame what they did to Conlon, taking a kid's dreams away like that. It's criminal. And you're right, the judges not only robbed Conlon, they robbed the fans. Utterly disgraceful.

[CubanGuyNYC]

You obviously know way more than me about this, but the impression i get from many if these guys is that they extremely patriotic and loyal to 'Cuba' but that doesn't necessarily extend to the Cuban regime.

Like Rigo and Lara always wears Cuban shorts yet they defected to go make money for themselves in the US

Hello Tom.

You're right. Like most everyone else, Cuban athletes love their country and their culture, but that's a far cry from supporting the government and its ways. I like to see Cubans sporting the island's flag on their trunks. Lara and most of the other defectors do it. Rigo did in the beginning, but in his last few fights, he seems to have stopped "repping." No sure what that means, but I find it a little selfish.

[SkillspayBills]

What if the division he enters is too hot to be fast tracked?????

Who wouldn't want to face a 3 time Olympic gold medalist? He will get a title shot on entry into the pro game and he will be ready.

[otrocubiche]

thing is while in cuba he makes probably around $100 a month, which is 4,5 times what cubans normally make and if gets injured or out of the team for whatever reason, he'd de left with nothing for the rest of his life, i wish he'd leave soon, try to get good fights in the pros and saves some money for his coming years, and of course as a fan i'd like to see him fight the best

[WarMaidana]

I look forward to following his career if he turns pro. Think he'd be much more entertaining than Rigo and Lara. Although it'd gotta be hard to defect especially if you have family and stuff you don't want to leave behind

[WarMaidana]

Excuse my ignorance, but I am not American nor Cuban. When Cuban's defect, does that make them illegal immigrants in the USA?

[kidbazooka]

I look forward to following his career if he turns pro. Think he'd be much more entertaining than Rigo and Lara. Although it'd gotta be hard to defect especially if you have family and stuff you don't want to leave behind

I agree.

Rigo and Lara are very good defensively but Ramirez is not just good defensively he's shows aggression when he sees openings.

There were a few fights during the past Olympics where Ramirez would make his opponent miss counter with s 3 punch combo then make them miss again and counter with another combo all while standing in front of them.

[Build That Wall]

If you can get the **** out of Cuba, DO SO.

[CubanGuyNYC]

I look forward to following his career if he turns pro. Think he'd be much more entertaining than Rigo and Lara. Although it'd gotta be hard to defect especially if you have family and stuff you don't want to leave behind

I see Robeisy having a much more fan-friendly style than either of those two. He's aggressive as an amateur. I believe he'll be at least as aggressive as a pro.

Excuse my ignorance, but I am not American nor Cuban. When Cuban's defect, does that make them illegal immigrants in the USA?

Current US policy treats Cubans landing on US soil essentially as political dissidents. They are given expedited permanent residency, and eventually allowed to become citizens. That may change as the two countries resume political relations.