Robeisy “El Tren” Ramírez is an elite boxer by any measure. He has two Olympic gold medals (which he won with the Cuban national team) and was the WBO featherweight champion between April and December 2023.

But it wasn’t until his title defense in July 2023 (in Japan against Satoshi Shimizu) that he became known even to casual fans, especially Cubans in exile. He’d been outspoken a long time about his opposition to Cuba’s dictatorship, but when that government intervened halfway around the world to silence him during the event, they only made his message louder.

Robeisy and his manager José Izquierdo (who was kind enough to play translator for our listeners here, although he’s kind of a big deal in his own right) joined us at Chug’s Diner in Miami to talk about boxing, Cuba, Robeisy’s hunt to regain the WBO title, and how he has used his success in his sport to tell the world about the struggles of those in his native country.

Robeisy’s next fight will be June 29 in Miami against Brandon Leon Benitez.

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