Boxing witnessed flashes of legend Roberto Duran‘s never-to-be-forgotten ‘No Mas’ at the Footprint Center. The co-main event between Rafael Espinoza and Robeisy Ramirez ended in the most abrupt manner when, in the beginning of the sixth round, Ramirez raised his left hand, signaling his withdrawal. The unexpected decision resulted in a technical KO victory for Espinoza, who successfully defended his title for a second time this year.

With many openly suggesting that Robeisy Ramirez ‘quit’, the unforeseen conclusion of the highly anticipated match has sparked off a flurry of discussions across social media. However, a few reports tried exploring the reason behind the former champion’s shocking retreat. Entering the ring with favorable odds, Ramirez’s withdrawal left many surprised.

Robeisy Ramirez’s pullout: Supplementary insights

Citing the information received from a Top Rank spokesperson, Mike Coppinger said, “Robeisy Ramirez suffered a right orbital bone fracture during his TKO-6 loss to Rafael Espinoza, per Top Rank spokesperson @KornerMan44.” With barely ten seconds into the sixth round, Ramirez stopped after receiving a straight right from Rafael Espinoza. Reportedly he was taken to the Banner University Medical Center for further examination.

The sudden twist must have shocked many followers. A tightly contested duel saw Robeisy Ramirez, the busier of the fighters, giving a tough time to the reigning champion. Fighting on the outside, the Cuban southpaw was on the constant move. Late in the third round, Ramirez landed a powerful left on Espinoza’s face. But his six-foot-tall opponent remained unfazed. Leveraging his height and reach, Espinoza made effective use of jabs to keep Ramirez away.

Halfway through the fourth round, another left uppercut shook Espinoza. Stats at the time revealed 46% of Robeisy Ramirez’s 78 punches made the connect in comparison to Rafael Espinoza’s 23%.

The Elbow Controversy: Reviewing the Footage

During the post-fight interview, Robeisy Ramirez told Bernardo Osuna, “In the fourth round, he hit me with a couple of elbows in the follow-through. I complained to the referee about it. He did his job, supposedly, and this happened… I had double vision… I had to make sure that I leave this ring with my health. I’m okay, fortunately, but I just could not see out of my right eye.“

There seemed to be some confusion about the punch that caused Robeisy Ramirez to consider a backout. Clips from the sixth round show Rafael Espinoza’s straight right making a neat connect, landing on Ramirez’s right eye. But the Cuban southpaw had been complaining about the elbow. When did that happen?

Boxing Scene writer David Greisman shared a short footage. It featured a clip from the fifth round. As Robeisy Ramirez circled, a quick exchange in front of the ropes saw Rafael Espinoza thrusting a left hook. Ramirez blocked it with his right hand. However, his face invited Espinoza to throw a short right. As they separated following a brief collision, a short uppercut from Espinoza appeared to connect with Ramirez’s face.

It all happened in a jiffy. It’s likely that Rafael Espinoza’s elbow followed through. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to draw any clear conclusions. As Greisman said, “Hard to tell for certain.” Robeisy Ramirez is being increasingly criticized for stopping the fight. Many cited past examples where, despite suffering injuries, boxers continued to fight and, in a few cases, won as well.

What do you think? Did Robeisy Ramirez make the right call to preserve his health, or was his decision influenced by the trajectory of the fight?