Part of the joy of the holiday season is looking back at things you’ve seen before. Sitting down to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Elf, or another favorite holiday movie is as much a part of the holiday festivities as carling or unwrapping presents.
On Saturday night, two title fights that have yet to be postponed headline an intriguing card in Phoenix, Arizona. Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) will defend his featherweight title against Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs). The main event will see Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KO) and Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KO) face off for Navarrete’s junior lightweight championship.
Rafael Espinoza was a 15-1 underdog in the first meeting against former Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez in December 2023. Espinoza won a majority decision to take the title from Ramirez. Espinoza overcame a knockdown in the fifth round to turn the tide in the fight, outscoring Ramirez 103 to 33 in rounds 10-12 and scoring a knockdown of his own in the twelfth round. The punch statistics for the entire fight were just as extravagant; Espinoza threw 995 punches to Ramirez’s 376 over the course of twelve rounds.
Ramirez is a slight favorite with -125 odds to avenge his loss against Espinoza.
Although Ramirez is no longer looking to avenge Espinoza, he has another potential opponent, Naoya Inoue. If “The Monster” decides to move up to the featherweight division next year and aims to become a five-division world champion, Robeisy Ramirez will be waiting.
“I’ve seen Inoue in person. He’s a great fighter and a legend. But my impression is that he’s small for 126 pounds, and I’m not that big for my division. Neither is he. He’s a little small to be moving, and At some point, you hit your limits. There’s only one Manny Pacquiao. It doesn’t matter how good your boxing is, at some point, the weight becomes too much, and the power of the guys in the divisions above you. it becomes too much. My boxing is strong, and I feel that I can finish Inoue’s story.”
Before Ramirez can worry about Inoue, he has his hands full with Rafael Espinoza. Espinoza has fought once since upsetting Ramirez last December, defeating Sergio Chirino Sanchez by fourth-round TKO in June. Only twice in his career has Espinoza had a fight go into the seventh round (the first fight with Ramirez and a ten round unanimous decision win over Carlos Ornelas in January 2021). Although Espinoza turned professional six years before Ramirez and has nine more professional fights, Ramirez has fought more times as a professional (104) than Espinoza (91).
Ramirez says he will show the best version of himself Saturday. Espinoza believes he has two major advantages in the fight. “Yes, we all know about my height advantage, but I also have another advantage, and that is my heart. So, I will show you my heart by giving it my all in the ring this Saturday.
Emanuel Navarrete defeated Oscar Valdez the first time these two Mexican fighters met in August 2023. Valdez was a warrior in defeat, absorbing punishment from Navarrete in a fashion that was simultaneously honorable and uncomfortable. The fight was exciting, although Navarrete won a wide unanimous decision.
While Valdez has a stellar record with just two losses in 34 pro fights, both defeats have come in his last four fights. Shakur Stevenson outboxed Valdez to hand him his first defeat in April 2022. A decision victory over Adam Lopez and a knockout of Liam Wilson in his most recent fight bookended Valdez’s loss to Navarrete.
For Valdez, who turns 34 in a couple of weeks, if he doesn’t win on Saturday, many will wonder if he should hang up his gloves. On Wednesday, Valdez addressed that sentiment. “No, no, it’s win or win for me. Retirement is not on my mind because I’m already a very optimistic person. Very positive thinker. There’s no point in thinking about retirement. The moment you start thinking about retirement, you should retire. That shouldn’t be on your mind right now, I love this sport too much.” “I like him a lot more than my opponent. He doesn’t seem to like me as much as I do.”
Emanuel Navarrete is the champion, a 2 ½ to 1 favorite in this fight, and has already defeated Valdez, but what makes Saturday’s rematch so intriguing is that Navarrete has not fared well in his recent fights. Navarrete has fought twice since defeating Valdez, with a draw and a loss in those bouts. Last November, Navarrete beat Robson Conceicao to a majority draw before moving up in weight for his most recent contest in May. Navarrete was unsuccessful in his bid to become a four-division champion, losing to Denys Berinchyk in a fight for a vacant 135-pound championship. Back in the 130-pound weight class, Navarrete looks to get back in the win column Saturday night.
Many Mexican fans will be present at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. For each man, facing another Mexican fighter in front of a crowd of his countrymen should motivate Valdez and Navarrete to have a great fight one more time.
This Saturday night, gather around the big TV and enjoy the gift of two great discounts.
