Rafael Espinoza says he is open to a fight with WBO super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete following his sixth round technical victory over Robeisy Ramirez in their rematch last Saturday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Navarrete could be the lanky puncher Rafael Espinoza faces if he moves up to super featherweight to challenge for his WBO title. The money might be better for Espinoza than staying at 126, but it could be a dangerous fight.
Navarrete completely destroyed Oscar Valdez (32-3, 24 KOs) in the sixth round in last night’s main event. He dropped Valdez three times in the fight and scored another knockout in the sixth round. It was a 100% unnecessary duplicationas Navarrete had already easily beaten Valdez last year, winning a 12-round unanimous decision on August 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. War is NOT competition.
The descent of Robeisy
WBO featherweight champion Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) forced two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy (14-3, 9 KOs) to quit in the sixth round when he caught him with a sharp right hand down the pipe. Robeisy turned quickly and stopped. Espinoza showed his class by not wearing the belt yet, as he could not defend himself and would have been at the mercy of the 6’1″ Mexican champion.
Ramirez, 30, said he could see twice in his right eye from the elbows Espinoza caught him with in the fourth round. However, there was no swelling in that eye in that round or the fifth. It wasn’t until the sixth round that Robeisy’s right eye was swollen shut, and that came after a right hand landed by Espinoza that forced him to stop. Ramirez’s eye did well with immediate visibility after the fight and he didn’t look good.
Former WBO 126-lb champion Ramirez lost his title to Espinoza in their first fight on December 9 last year, losing a 12-round majority decision in a competitive bout. Ramirez outpaced Espinoza in the second round and was knocked out in the 12th round of that contest.
With the loss, Ramirez’s time as a senior is short The fighter may be over. Cuban Robeisy is a concoction who looks old 30, and nowhere near the same hero, he was there when he took two gold medals at the Olympics in London 2012 and 2016 Rio de Janeiro.
Those medals went to Flyweight and Bantamweight Robeisy. Ramirez doesn’t look fit in the featherweight division, but it’s unlikely he’ll cut down to compete at 118 or 112. Is it time for Robeisy to retire? Can be. Either way, Top Rank should consider whether to re-sign him when his contract expires.
Espinoza’s statement
“I think the pressure was tiring of him. I know he was connecting, and he saw that it was doing me no harm. So, mentally, I was stronger, and I think I could do better than him mentally. He was tired, and he never got to me,” said Rafael Espinoza in a press conference after the fight, talking about Robeisy Ramirez. “He lost that mind game.
“I could have fought someone else, but I wanted this fight,” Espinoza said of his rematch with Cuban Ramirez. “He can be a champion. That is possible.
“I want the best fights. I want to consolidate and move up.”
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