The impressive weapons of two-time Olympic gold medallist Robeisy Ramirez proved too much for Eric Donovan in Glasgow tonight, with the Kildare fighter succumbing to a third-round stoppage against his Cuban opponent in their featherweight bout.
Ramirez relied heavily on his jab, while also targeting the body of Donovan in the opening round, with the 36-year-old ending up on the canvas with a knockdown that was due as much to a loss of balance as to the Cuban's prowess.
A left hook from Ramirez in the second round opened a cut over the right eye of Donovan in this battle of the southpaws, but the Athy man showed plenty of heart in his attempts to thwart the 28-year-old.
Donovan started the third round brightly, but a Ramirez combination put him on the back foot. The Cuban then rocked Donovan with a thundering left hook to the temple, which left him languishing on the ropes.
Another left followed before referee Victor Loughlin stepped in to stop the fight as Donovan dropped to the floor.
Ramirez suffered an upset on his pro debut against Zelfa Barrett, but now boasts a perfect record in his 10 subsequent fights, with five of those victories coming via knockout, while it was a second loss in 16 outings for Donovan.
