Robeisy Ramirez’s rationale for walking away from Rafael Espinoza was more than justified.

The Ring has confirmed through a spokesperson for promoter Top Rank that an X-ray performed at a nearby hospital late Saturday night confirmed Ramirez’s fear, that he suffered a fractured right orbital bone during his sixth-round, technical-knockout loss at Footprint Center in Phoenix. In real time, broadcasters and fans wondered why Ramirez created a Roberto Duran-esque “no mas” moment early in the sixth round, when, after Espinoza punched him on the damaged area around his right eye, the two-time Olympic gold medalist turned his back on his opponent, waved his left glove as a sign of submission and lost by TKO.

Referee Chris Flores promptly stopped their scheduled 12-round, 126-pound championship rematch only 12 seconds into the sixth round. Ismael Salas, Ramirez’s trainer, convinced the former WBO featherweight champion to leave his corner for the sixth round, despite the fact that Ramirez informed him that he experienced double vision after absorbing what Ramirez determined were elbows to his right eye in the fourth round.

ESPN replays showed Espinoza’s elbow making contact on the follow through of multiple punches with the right side of Ramirez’s face in the fourth round.

The Cuban southpaw led Espinoza on two scorecards through five rounds in an anticipated rematch of one of the best action fights of 2023.

Judges Tim Cheatham and Dennis O’Connell had Ramirez ahead by one point apiece, 48-47, entering the sixth round. Ramirez (14-3, 9 KOs) was down by three points, 49-46, according to judge Zachary Young.

The possibility of avenging another loss wasn’t enough to make Ramirez continue at the risk of suffering permanent damage to his right eye.

“Look, what ended up happening is in the fourth round he hit me with a couple of elbows in the follow-through,” Ramirez told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna during his post-fight interview in the ring. “I complained to the referee about it. He did his job, supposedly, and this happened.

“Look, I had to make a decision for my own health, if I’m not being protected. Look, I had double vision, and I had to make sure that I leave this ring with my health. You see that I’m OK, fortunately, but I just could not see out of my right eye.”

This type of unusual loss was another unforeseen setback for Ramirez, who won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016.

Ramirez, 30, lost his four-round pro debut by split decision to unheralded Denver boxer Adan Gonzalez in August 2019. Refocused and better prepared, Ramirez defeated Gonzalez, who was 4-2-2 at the time he upset Ramirez, by unanimous decision in their six-round rematch in July 2020.

The skillful Ramirez later won the then-vacant WBO 126-pound crown in April 2023, when he beat Ghana’s Isaac Dogboe by unanimous decision in a 12-rounder at Tulsa Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was a 16-1 favorite when Mexico’s Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) got off the canvas in the fifth round, forced Ramirez to take a knee in the 12th round and took that WBO belt from Ramirez thanks a majority-decision victory in December 2023 in Pembroke Pines, Florida.