Robeisy Ramírez Takes a Swipe at Julio César La Cruz: "He Was a Blabbermouth and a Sycophant"

The Cuban boxer Robeisy Ramírez unleashed a barrage of criticisms against fellow Cuban Julio César La Cruz on Thursday during his appearance on the podcast "La Hora del Tiza." He revealed a personal feud that dates back to their time together on the national Cuban team.

Known as "El Tren," Ramírez recounted how he was the one to stand up against unjust decisions by the team leaders, while others remained silent. "Those who had been around longer didn't say anything, starting with Julio César La Cruz, the blabbermouth. He never spoke up for his teammates," the Cienfuegos native asserted.

Ramírez went further, describing La Cruz’s behavior outside the ring as duplicitous. He accused La Cruz of encouraging teammates to party only to report them to the coaches afterward. "He was one of those who'd coax you into going out, then the next day, when you were too hungover to train, he'd be there pointing fingers: 'Look at him, drunk because he went out last night,'" Ramírez recounted.

"He was always a blabbermouth and a sycophant to the bosses," the former featherweight world champion of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) declared.

Separating Personal and Professional Critiques

The double Olympic champion (London 2012 and Rio 2016) was careful to distinguish his personal criticisms from La Cruz's sporting abilities, acknowledging him as an effective boxer in the amateur system despite his unappealing style.

"You see that awkward hand-dropping and darting around. I get it, but they wouldn't beat me. The judges allowed it. The referees never told him, 'Stand and fight.' They let him do it, and that's how he got those results," Ramírez explained.

Nevertheless, Ramírez emphasized that his disdain for La Cruz extends beyond the ring. "One thing has nothing to do with the other. I'm at odds with him to the death, and everyone knows it. Publicly, I've bad-mouthed him and everything he stands for, but in boxing, they let him win with his ugly style," he stated.

Past Conflicts and New Beginnings

This isn't the first time Ramírez has publicly criticized La Cruz. In July 2021, after the Tokyo Olympics, he called La Cruz a "lackey of the Cuban dictatorship" following La Cruz's shout of "¡Patria o Muerte, Venceremos!" after defeating the Cuban-Spanish boxer Enmanuel Reyes, a gesture that then-leader Miguel Díaz-Canel personally applauded.

Ramírez left the national team in 2018 during a training camp in Mexico, making a discreet exit with a backpack during a team lunch, hopping into a waiting car. Since then, he has built a professional career in the United States, culminating in winning the WBO world title in 2023.

As of his recent statements, the Cienfuegos boxer has been out of the ring for over seven months. His last match ended in a technical knockout loss in the sixth round to Rafael "El Divino" Espinoza in December 2024, due to a fractured orbital. His anticipated return to the ring in May this year was abruptly canceled in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, due to what he claimed were irregular circumstances.

The Contrasting Paths of La Cruz and Ramírez

Meanwhile, La Cruz remains entrenched within the Cuban regime's sports system. The two-time Olympic champion (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020) and five-time world amateur champion has been designated as the flag bearer for Cuba alongside Leyanis Pérez for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026, where he leads the island's boxing delegation in pursuit of his fourth regional title.