Bruce Carrington’s long-rumored showdown with the WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza has yet to materialize despite both fighters competing under the Top Rank banner.
The newly crowned WBC champion, who will make the first defense of his title against undefeated contender Rene Palacio (19-0-1, 10 KOs) on July 4 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, gave his thoughts on why the fight wasn’t made.
“I think Espinosa can be a little more strategic if he wants to fight me with others,” Carrington told Ring Magazine when discussing a possible meeting with Rafael Espinoza. “I think that his team and maybe even Top Rank are kind of setting us up to fight each other last, like have like a big crescendo type thing. You know what I’m saying? So, I’m not mad at it. Business-wise, it actually sounds good.”
Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs) stopped Mateus Heita in the ninth round on June 8 at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York to capture the vacant WBC featherweight title. While Espinoza has emerged as one of the division’s marquee names, Carrington believes IBF champion Angelo Leo and WBA titleholder Brandon Figueroa may be more willing to pursue a unification bout.
“I think Angelo Leo and Figueroa, they’re the two most likely fighters to fight me for sure,” Carrington said.
Espinoza (28-0, 24 KOs) has held the WBO featherweight title since defeating Robeisy Ramirez in December 2023. A future meeting between Carrington and Espinoza will pit two undefeated champions in what many consider to be one of the biggest fights available in the featherweight division.
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Last updated on 2026/06/10 at 13:44
