The WBO has ordered featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) to begin negotiations for a rematch with #1 ranked Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs). The two fighters have 15 days to put together a fight to avert a purse bid.
Espinoza, 6’1″, defeated the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy last year on December 9th, winning a twelve-round majority decision in Pembroke Pines, Florida. In the defeat, Robeisy lost his WBO 126-lb title.
Robeisy, 5’6″, dropped Espinoza in the fifth round but couldn’t finish him off. It appeared that Robeisy let his foot off the accelerator, failing to show a sense of urgency. Espinoza dominated the fight’s second half with his high work rate and looping shots. In the twelfth, Robeisy was hurt on the verge of being knocked out.
Since that fight, Robeisy returned from defeat to stop Brandon Leon Benitez in the seventh round on June 29th in Miami Beach, Florida. Despite winning, Robeisy didn’t show much improvement in his game, which suggests that he’ll avenge his loss to Espinoza.
The Key to Victory for Robeisy
The best chance that Robeisy has to defeat Espinoza is to knock him out because he’s not going to outwork him or outbox him because he throws so many punches. Espinoza can only be beaten by knockout, and it will take something special from Robeisy to accomplish that.
At 6’1,” Espinoza is a freak of nature for the featherweight division, making him next to impossible to defeat. However, it’s not just Espinoza’s height that makes him so formidable. He can fight on the inside, his looping shots, unpredictable angles for his punches, and his uppercuts.
Robeisy can’t afford to fight on the inside or try and match Espinoza punch for punch. He doesn’t have that kind of offensive ability. Robeisy can only stay on the outside and use his superior hand speed to land pinpoint shots. In other words, he must be a sniper to win.
Robeisy isn’t as fast in hand or feet as when he won his two gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. When you compare Robeisy’s performances in those Olympics to the chunky, slower fighter he is today, it’s two different people.
Robeisy has lost a lot from his game, but he still has the power and ring IQ that made him a great amateur. He outsmarted Rafael Espinoza through most of the fight but got tired in the second half. He didn’t have the engine to keep up with Espinoza. That’s probably not going to change in the rematch, so Robeisy needs to try to score a knockout early.
Espinoza defended his WBO title successfully on June 21st, knocking out Sergio Chirino Sanchez in the 4th round in Las Vegas.
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