Rafael Espinoza exceeded expectations as an unheralded underdog in the best way possible last December and two days shy of the one-year anniversary since his 12-round firefight with Robeisy Ramirez, the 30-year-old gets another opportunity centre stage to banish Olympic champion and former titleholder Robeisy Ramirez on a night headlined by two world championship rematches.
Espinoza: I want the best Ramirez – no excuses!
RAFAEL Espinoza went from hopeful contender to world champion during an unforgettable 2023 and after logging a fourth-round knockout win over Sergio Chirino in June, the WBO featherweight titleholder heads into his Robeisy Ramirez rematch full of confidence he’ll get it done even more clinically a second time.
As quoted by Top Rank, the Guadalajara-born champion had this to say on the topic of this second instalment.
“I know it will be a war and it’ll help that I can fight against any version of Ramirez. I’ll be ready whether he wants a close-range fight or at distance, I’m not leaving without the title – as I said before the first. I’m preparing for the best because that’s who I’ll face and exactly what I want, so there won’t be any doubts or excuses when I win.”
The 25-0 (21 KOs) boxer insisted his mentality, training approach and commitment have all changed for the better since, something clearly evident to observers during his stoppage win over a compatriot in his voluntary title defence on June 22:
Lucrative unification bouts were in the offing for Ramirez, who returned a week later with a seventh-round knockout win over Brandon Benitez after personal issues impacted his training camp before an unsuccessful second world title defence.
“My father got really sick and almost passed away. He’s in Cuba and I can’t go back, couldn’t visit him in hospital so that affected me greatly. I wasn’t surprised by him but that was not the best version of me – still delivered a great show. I have a champion mentality and will be champion again – don’t doubt this [second fight] will be better.”
Undisputed super-bantamweight kingpin Naoya Inoue has featured in the eyes of many as a potential future foe for the decorated Cuban, who boxed on his undercard in Tokyo when the Japanese star dethroned Stephen Fulton last summer.
Naturally, Espinoza’s interested in unifying the 130lb division and has good company to lean upon with highly-regarded head coach Manny Robles in his corner,
“I have to stay completely focused, made a mistake the first time and it cost me. So we’re focusing on being 100 percent concentrated because losing focus is easy when you get comfortable. I can’t afford to lose focus for even a second, that will be a key difference.”
- Espinoza on his mindset heading into the rematch
Robles told me in January: “Rafael earned that and like they say, you win your fights in the gym. Put in the work, get good results and with his whole situation, twisting his ankle after getting knocked down and coming back up, shows his resilience, what he’s made of. He was boxing beautifully, putting on a masterclass on Robeisy – the better boxer, two-time Olympic gold medallist world champion – doing great and him being 100%, if there is a rematch, you’ll see what you saw for the first five.”
Top Rank’s ESPN card is as follows
WBO world featherweight title: Rafael Espinoza (c) vs. Robeisy Ramirez 2
WBO world super-featherweight title: Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez 2
10 rounds
Lindolfo Delgado vs. Jackson Marinez for WBO Latino light-welterweight title
Welterweight: Giovani Santillan vs. Fredrick Lawson
8 rounds
Heavyweight: Richard Torres Jr vs. Issac Munoz Gutierrez
Super-featherweight: Demler Zamora vs. Roman Ruben Reynoso
Super-feather: Albert Gonzalez vs. Gerardo Antonio Perez
6 rounds
Super-flyweight: Steven Navarro vs. Gabriel Bernardi Cruz
Welterweight: Art Barrera Jr vs. Juan Carlos Campos Medina
Lightweight, 4 rounds: Kevin Mosquera vs. Cesar Morales
Picture source, quotes via Top Rank unless stated
Mo and Sports 