Erislandy Lara
In July 2018, Ramírez left a Cuban National Team training camp in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The Cuban National Sports Institute stated on its official website that Ramírez was "turning his back" on the team and that "Attitudes like this are far from our values and the discipline that characterises our sport". It was thought that Ramírez had defected from Cuba to become professional, following the likes of Guillermo Rigondeaux, Luiz Ortiz, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Erislandy Lara who had also defected from Cuba to become professional.