WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza and Robeisy Ramirez have not agreed to a deal for their rematch. Top Rank will inform the WBO of the status of the failed talks. As such, there will be a stock offer scheduled for October 11.
Salvador Rodriguez reports the news of the failed negotiations Espinoza-Robeisy 2. Both will now go to a stock market offer.
The 6’1″ Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) dethroned WBO 126-lb champion Robeisy (14-2, 9 KOs) on December 9 of last year, winning a 12-round majority decision in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The scores were 113-113, 114-112 and 115-111.
Robeisy, a two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist, will have to find a way to deal with Espinoza’s enormous height and reach in the rematch. At 5’6″, Robeisy is too short and doesn’t possess the punch to defeat Espinoza in a close fight.
Where Robeisy had success was fighting on the outside, throwing hard single shots, and then escaping before getting caught by looping shots from the long-armed Espinoza.
Espinoza’s height makes him a freak for the 126 lb division because there are no top level fighters in the weight class with that type of size. What makes Espinoza even more dangerous is his arsenal. He possesses a medium uppercut that lands in close that receives a lot of torque.
Robeisy’s best chance to win the rematch against Espinoza is to throw him out. Ramirez, 30, had Espinoza on the canvas in the fifth round, but he couldn’t get away. Espinoza came on late to dominate the championship rounds and knocked out Robeisy in the 12th.
“Top Rank has informed the WBO that it has not reached an agreement between Rafael ‘Divino’ Espinoza and Robeisy ‘Tren’ Ramirez in a rematch for the featherweight championship. Thus, October 11 will be an offer of purse with a minimum of 150 thousand dollars. Espinoza had an agreement with TR, but not Ramirez,” said Salvador Rodriguez X.
Someone is going to figure out how to beat Espinoza sooner or later. If it’s not Robeisy in the rematch, eventually, there will be a fighter with enough power to cut him down. Robeisy has the IQ and pedigree to get the job done, but he will have to fight much smarter to win. He played to Espinoza’s strengths last time by brawling with him on the inside, and it worked.
