Rafael Espinoza Secures WBO Featherweight Title in Thrilling Upset Win Over Robeisy Ramirez

Rafael Espinoza secured a considerable upset to beat Robeisy Ramirez for the WBO featherweight title via a majority decision despite suffering from a ‘suspected’ broken foot.
Ramirez was the heavy favorite going into the fight. The two-time Olympic gold medal winner and the Ring Magazine’s fourth-ranked featherweight was hoping to put himself in a position to face Naoya Inoue if the latter moved up to 126. However, Espinoza had other ideas. As his come-forward style showed, the boxer was the busier fighter in the first four rounds. The challenger threw close to 1,000 punches in the whole fight, showing his aggressive intention.
Espinoza Hits The Canvas
But the tables turned in the fifth round. Ramirez connected with a right hook just as the round was close to being done, as Espinoza hit the canvas. But Espinoza got off the floor to survive that scare and get through the round.
Ramirez then had his own scare in the following round. The fighter survived a knockdown after hitting the canvas, as it was deemed a push following a right hand from Espinoza. The challenger remained composed as he continued to increase the pace in the second half of the fight.
Another Twist
Ramirez almost sent Espinoza to the deck once again in the seventh following a flurry of puches.
His left hand and right hooks troubled the champ in the eighth as he pinned Espinoza on the ropes. With very little to separate the two, the final round had one last piece of drama. Espinoza managed to throw 121 punches in the 12th round, as the volume of punches was too much for Ramirez to handle. Ramirez hit the canvas in another twist.
The fight divided the judges on the cards, with Espinoza winning: 115-111, 114-112 and 113-113.
Comments
“I didn’t think about anything in here. I just thought about winning. I even asked what round we were in. And I knew that I had to drop him in order to win. I just put my heart into it. I always do that. And thank God it happened.
“I think I’ve had a broken foot since the second round. But what kept me on my feet was my daughter, my parents, my wife and my family. I knew that all of Mexico was watching me. And I knew that I had to become a world champion,” Espinoza
“We did what we always do. We followed what Ismael Salas told us to do. We scored the knockdown and tried to end the fight, but it didn’t happen. I thought the fight was won. But he got his second wind. I tried to catch mine. But I’ve got to give him credit. He came after me. He got the knockdown. I didn’t think it would determine the result, but that’s what the judges decided,” Ramirez
Full Card
Rafael Espinoza def. Robeisy Ramirez (c) via a majority decision: 115-112, 114-111, 113-113
Xander Zayas def. Jorge Fortea via a fifth-round KO 5
Bruce Carrington def. Jason Sanchez via a second-round TKO – Featherweight
Jahi Tucker draw Francisco Daniel Veron via a majority decision: 77-75, 76-76, 76-76 – Super Welterweight
Rohan Polanco def. Keith Hunter via a sixth-round TKO – Super Lightweight
Delante Johnson def. Jimmer Espinosa via a split decision: 79-73, 78-74, 75-77 – Super Lightweight
Damian Kynba def. Scott Alexander via a unanimous decision Heavyweight
Richard Torrez Jr. def. Curtis Harper via an eight-round TKO – Heavyweight
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