WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza is speaking about presumably shifting as much as 130 forward of his rematch towards former champ Robeisy Ramirez subsequent month on December seventh on the Footprint Middle in Phoenix, Arizona.
The lanky 6’1″ Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) has seemed massive in between fights, and it’s clearly taking rather a lot out of him to drop weight to get right down to the skeletal 126 lbs to defend his WBO belt.
Whatever the consequence of his rematch with Robeisy (14-2, 9 KOs), it is smart for the 30-year-old Espinoza to maneuver as much as tremendous featherweight as a result of he can get a pleasant payday preventing the winner of the rematch between WBO 130-lb champion Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez.
These two are preventing in the principle occasion on the December seventh card on the Footprint Middle. So, that makes it a straightforward combat to make for High Rank to match Espinoza towards the winner.
Newly topped WBC tremendous featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster mentioned he needs to combat the Navarrete-Valdez II winner, however his 12-round cut up choice victory over Robson Conceicao of their rematch on November 2nd was so boring to observe it might be a nasty concept for High Rank to let him be subsequent. It might be extra fascinating for followers to have Espinoza combat the winner.
High Rank ought to have Foster combat a rematch with #2 WBC Eduardo Hernandez as a result of e their conflict final yr on October twenty eighth was drama-filled, with O’Shaquie needing to return from behind to attain a Twelfth-round knockout.
“He will get hit flush. He doesn’t have an incredible protection, and that’s going to be an issue for him when he will get in with Robeisy. He is aware of he can harm him. He put him on the canvas earlier than [last year on December 9th, 2023], and I believe he’s going to place him on the canvas once more,” mentioned Tim Bradley to Probox TV about WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza being weak on protection going into his rematch with the two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez on December seventh.
“He will get hit on chin by Robeisy Ramirez. If he’s struggling making weight at 126 lbs, he’ll get harm. Belief me, Robeisy Ramirez needs his belt again. I believe it’s a decide ’em combat, it’s whoever lands first, however I might guess that Robeisy will land that kill shot, and he’ll finish Espinoza,” mentioned Bradley.
Espinoza seemed good in his final combat towards Sergio Chirino Sanchez, however he wasn’t preventing a expertise like Robeisy. Issues might be very completely different for him when he faces the Cuban Robeisy on December seventh, and this is likely to be the tip of his quick title reign.
“This isn’t a straightforward combat vs. Robeisy Ramirez. He’s very gifted. Their first combat was an absolute battle,” mentioned Chris Algieri. “Espinoza needed to pull that one out of the fireplace. He bought dropped early [in round five], and needed to rating a knockdown on the finish [in round twelve] to win the combat. ”
It seemed like Espinoza was accomplished when he was knocked down within the fifth spherical by Robeisy, however he was lucky the that occurred within the closing seconds of that spherical. Had the knockdown occurred earlier within the spherical, Espinoza would have been knocked out as a result of he was out on his toes after getting again up. All it might have taken is one other massive left hand from Robeisy to complete him.
“Going into the rematch and letting everybody know that principally win, lose or draw, ‘I’m shifting up, means I’ve to maneuver up.’ I’m stunned he’s been in a position to keep at this weight for therefore lengthy.”
Espinoza seemed like a starved skeleton in his combat towards Robeisy final yr and had an identical look in his latest protection towards Sergio Chirino Sanchez on June twenty first. It’s bought to be arduous for Espiniza not to have the ability to benefit from the cash he’s making by consuming nicely in between fights, and he’s not getting any youthful.
At 30, he can’t proceed to empty right down to 126 like this with out it catching as much as him, presumably in his rematch towards Robeisy on December seventh.
“I don’t assume he has any alternative. I don’t know what took him so lengthy. This man is big at featherweight,” mentioned Paulie Malignaggi concerning the 6’1″ Espinoza.
Espinoza might most likely keep at featherweight a bit longer if there was a cash combat for him, however there isn’t. There’s nobody there that’s well-known sufficient for Espinoza to get the sort of dough that he would by shifting as much as 130 to tackle the Navarrete-Valdez 2 winner or snatching the WBC belt from the light-hitting Foster after which preventing a unification match towards Oscar or Emanuel.
