Fighter of the Week (12-4/12-10): Rafael Espinoza
On a weekend that saw a master technician move up a weight class and absolutely school arguably the best fighter in the division to the point where he had a record-smashing defensive performance, holding his opponent to the least amount of punches ever recorded in a 12-round title fight. That fighter would be the obvious selection for Fighter of the Week. However, this was no ordinary week as the largely unknown Rafael Espinoza of Jaliso, Mexico, shocked the boxing world by scoring what is the leader in the clubhouse for "Upset of the Year" by dropping and outpointing Cuban Robeisy Ramirez, to move his perfect record to 24-0 (20), pick up the WBO Featherweight title and take home our Fighter of the Week award.
Saturday night at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida, was supposed to be Robeisy Ramirez's big night, the stage was set in his second home, and big things were on the horizon. However, the 29-year-old Espinoza had far different plans. Through the first four-plus rounds, you could sense there was upset in the air. Everything was going Espinoza's way, standing out of range and outlanding the Cuban in the midrange, the challenger was putting rounds in the bank and denting the champion. However, that appeared to change in the fifth. Just before the bell. Ramirez looked like he was about to lose the fifth, also until he landed a blistering right hand that dropped the challenger hard and would have ended the fight if it had come even a few seconds earlier. Espinoza was out on his feet and nearly fell face-first on top of the ropes as the bell rang to end the round and save the upset opportunity. The rugged Mexican was never quite the same, but the dog in him came out. Ramirez began evening up the fight, taking the middle rounds. In dramatic fashion, Espinoza rallied and took the late rounds, wearing Ramirez down and having him hold on for life in the final ticks of the fight. However, he couldn’t quite do it, and Espinoza scored a knockdown in the final seconds. That knockdown was the difference in the majority decision on official scores of 113-113, 114-112, and 115-111.
Espinoza put on an unforgettable performance in an instant classic of a fight. He is going to have big options! Whether or not the Jalisciense can ever reproduce the performance he gave Saturday night in South Florida or if this was simply his Buster Douglas moment is yet to be determined. However, he will get the opportunity to prove he belongs. As the world champion, he has big options. A rematch is obviously on the table, and so is a unification bout, with Luis Alberto Lopez, who also had a shocking path to a world title or what would be a thrilling fight with Rey Vargas. Any three of those fights or a fight with Josh Warrington, something Eddie Hearn can get each man massively paid on, are all intriguing options with a purse that will change the life of Espinoza and allow him to prove that he isn't a one-hit wonder and can reproduce Saturday's master class performance.
