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Rafael Espinoza says he’s open to combating WBO tremendous featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete following his sixth-round technical knockout victory over Robeisy Ramirez of their rematch final Saturday evening on the Footprint Middle in Phoenix, Arizona.
Navarrete is perhaps too massive of a puncher for lanky Rafael Espinoza to take care of if he have been to maneuver as much as tremendous featherweight to problem him for his WBO title. The cash would doubtlessly be higher for Espinoza than staying at 126, however it will be a dangerous struggle.
Navarrete destroyed a very overmatched Oscar Valdez (32-3, 24 KOs) within the sixth spherical in the primary occasion final evening. He dropped Valdez 3 times within the struggle and scored a physique shot knockout within the sixth spherical. It was a 100% pointless rematch, as Navarrete had already simply overwhelmed Valdez final yr, successful a lopsided 12-round unanimous resolution on August 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. The struggle was NOT aggressive.
Robeisy’s Decline
WBO featherweight champion Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) compelled the two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy (14-3, 9 KOs) to stop within the sixth spherical when he caught him with sharp proper hand straight down the pipe. Robeisy circled instantly and stop. Espinoza confirmed his class by not belting him in the mean time, as he was defenseless would have been on the mercy of a the 6’1″ Mexican champion.
Ramirez, 30, claimed he had double imaginative and prescient in his proper eye from the elbows that Espinoza had caught him with starting within the fourth spherical. Nonetheless, there was no swelling on that eye in that spherical or the fifth. It was solely till the sixth spherical that Robeisy’s proper eye swelled, and that got here after the the suitable hand that Espinoza landed that compelled him to stop. Ramirez’s eye did nicely visibly instantly after the struggle and he didn’t look good.
The previous WBO 126-lb champion Ramirez misplaced his title to Espinoza of their first struggle on December ninth final yr, shedding a 12-round majority resolution in a aggressive contest. Ramirez gassed out from the quick tempo that Espinoza placed on him within the second half and was dropped within the twelfth spherical of that contest.
With the loss, Ramirez’s temporary time as a top-level fighter might have ended. The Cuban Robeisy is an old-looking 30, and nowhere close to the identical fighter, he was when he captured two gold medals within the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio de Janeiro.
These medals have been gained at Flyweight and bantamweight for Robeisy. Ramirez doesn’t look minimize out for the load class at featherweight, however it’s unlikely he may trim right down to compete at 118 or 112 at his age. Is it time for Robeisy to retire? It is perhaps. Both approach, Prime Rank has to contemplate whether or not to re-sign him when his contract ends.
Espinoza’s Assertion
“I think he was frustrated by the pressure. I know he was connecting, and he noticed that it wasn’t causing any damage to me. So, mentally, I was strong, and I think I could do better than him mentally as well. He was fatigued, and he was barely landing on me,” stated Rafael Espinoza throughout the post-fight press convention, speaking about Robeisy Ramirez. “He misplaced in that psychological recreation.
“I could have fought somebody else, but I wanted this fight,” Espinoza stated about his rematch with the Cuban Ramirez. “He could possibly be a champion. That would occur.
“I want the best fights. I want to unify and move up.”
