Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland – The last time Robeisy Ramirez (9-1, 5 KOs) fought on British soil, at the 2012 London Olympics, he won the first of his two Olympic gold medals.
His return was a triumphant one, as he knocked down Irish veteran Eric Donovan (14-2, 8 KOs) twice en route to a third-round stoppage. Ramirez scored a knockdown with a counter left in the opening round and closed the show with a pair of lefts.
Ramirez said, “It was an honor to fight in Scotland in front of the great fans. I wanted to put on a sensational performance, and I believe I did that. Eric Donovan came to fight, but I am motivated to become a world champion one day. I know I can contend for a featherweight world title very soon.”
Also on the card, welterweight: Paddy “Real Deal” Donovan (8-0, 6 KOs), the Irish sensation trained and managed by former world champion Andy Lee, picked apart Miroslav Serdan (13-9, 7 KOs) en route to a sixth-round TKO. Serban’s corner stopped the fight due to left ear injury 56 seconds into the round.
Donovan said, “I was comfortable in there, but he has a tight defense so I had to take my time and break him down. We knew he would be durable, and my jab made it easier to open up a bit. No complaints with this performance. We executed the game plan to perfection.”
Junior Lightweight: Top Rank prospect Kurt Walker, who won a 2019 European Games gold medal for Ireland, needed only 2:03 to knock out Jaroslav Hriadel (1-3) in his professional debut. Walker ended the fight by digging a left hook into Hriadel’s liver. Walker plans on campaigning as a featherweight.
Walker said, “I enjoyed it. It’s different whenever you’re fighting as an amateur. You’re in an airport for eight hours. I was able to chill out and feel the pressure of other fighters because they’re fighting big fights. I enjoyed it. It was like I was on holiday.”