WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza is talking about a possible move to 130 ahead of his rematch against former champion Robeisy Ramirez next month on December 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
The lanky 6’1″ Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) looked great between fights, and it’s obviously taking a lot for him to cut weight to get down to the skeletal 126 lbs to defend his WBO belt.
Regardless of the outcome of his rematch with Robeisy (14-2, 9 KOs), it makes sense for the 30-year-old Espinoza to move up to super featherweight because he can get a big payday by fighting the winner of the rematch between WBO . 130-pound champion Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez.
Those two will fight in the main event on the December 7 card at the Footprint Center. So, that makes it an easy fight to make for Top Rank to match Espinoza against the winner.
New WBC super-featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster said he wants to fight Navarrete-Valdez II winner, but his 12-round split decision victory over Robson Conceicao in their rematch on November 2 was so boring to see that would be a bad idea. for Top Rank to let him be next. It would be more interesting for the fans if Espinoza fights the winner.
Top Rank should have Foster fight a rematch with the #2 WBC Eduardo Hernandez because their encounter last year on October 28 was full of drama, with O’Shaquie needing to come from behind to score a 12th-round knockout.
“He hits in flow. He doesn’t have a great defense, and that will be a problem for him when he meets Robeisy. He knows he can hurt him. He put him on the canvas before (last year on the 9 of December 2023), and I think it will put him on the canvas again,” said Tim Bradley to Probox TV on WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza who is vulnerable on defense heading into his rematch with two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez on December 7th.
“He got hit on the chin by Robeisy Ramirez. If he has a hard time making weight at 126 lbs, he will. Trust me, Robeisy Ramirez wants his belt back. I think it’s a pick ’em fight, that’s what who lands first, but I bet Robeisy lands that kill, and finishes Espinoza,” Bradley said.
Espinoza looked good in his last fight against Sergio Chirino Sanchez, but he wasn’t fighting a talent like Robeisy. Things could be very different for him when he faces the Cuban Robeisy on December 7, and this could be the end of his short title reign.
“This is not an easy fight against Robeisy Ramirez. He is very talented. His first fight was an absolute war,” said Chris Algieri. “Espinoza had to take that out of the fire. He was dropped early (in the fifth round), and he had to get a knockdown at the end (in the 12th round) to win the fight.”
It looked like Espinoza was finished when he was knocked down in the fifth round by Robeisy, but he was lucky it happened in the final seconds of that round. If the knockdown had happened earlier in the round, Espinoza would have been knocked down because he was on his feet after returning. All it would take is another big left hand from Robeisy to end it.
“Going into the rematch and letting everyone know that basically win, lose or draw, ‘I’m moving, it means I’m going to move on.’ I’m surprised he’s been able to stay at this weight for so long.”
Espinoza looked like a hungry skeleton in his fight against Robeisy last year and he looked similar in his recent defense against Sergio Chirino Sanchez on June 21. It must be hard for Espiniza not to be able to enjoy the money he earns by eating well between fights, and he’s not getting any younger.
At 30, he can’t continue to drop to 126 like that without him getting rich, possibly in his rematch against Robeisy on December 7th.
“I think he has no choice. I don’t know what took him so long. This guy is huge at featherweight,” said Paulie Malignaggi about the 6’1″ Espinoza.
Espinoza could probably stay at featherweight a little longer if there was a money fight for him, but there isn’t. There is no one who is known enough for Espinoza to get the kind of dough that he would have moved up to 130 to take the winner Navarrete-Valdez 2 or snatched the WBC belt from the light-beating Foster and then fighting a match of unification against Oscar or Emanuel.
