WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza will meet tough veteran Edward Vazquez to set the stage for Naoya Inoue’s return to the States
Riyadh Season’s three-card weekend will officially end with a title doubleheader, as Top Rank announced that WBO featherweight champion Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza will face Edward Vazquez on their May 4th Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas show in Vegas.
After a largely unremarkable decade spent smashing limited opposition in his native Mexico, Espinoza (26-0, 22 KO) broke through with a fantastic upset majority decision over Robeisy Ramirez in 2023. Following a successful inaugural defense against Sergio Chirino, he faced Ramirez a second time last December and scored a sixth-round finish courtesy of an eye injury.
Vazquez (17-2, 4 KO) has come up short in his biggest fights to date, but not by much. He gave Raymond Ford everything he could handle in 2022, then put Joe Cordina through similarly dire straits the following year. He’s a very capable fighter who shares Espinoza’s passion for mixing it up inside, so expect a great show.
Espinoza said, “I’m thrilled to return to the ring, especially in the city where I always dreamed of fighting, Las Vegas. Fighting at T-Mobile Arena is also a dream come true, which adds even more excitement for me. Edward Vazquez is a tough fighter who wants to take what’s mine. But I’m prepared to show him that I’m here to stay as a champion. I cannot wait for May 4 to reaffirm that once again.”
Vazquez said, “May 4 can’t get here soon enough. I started boxing at eight years old and have been a pro for over nine years. Nothing has ever been handed to me. I earned this opportunity. Espinoza is a fantastic fighter and a deserving champion, but he has never stepped into the ring with someone like ‘Kid’ Vazquez.”
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