The WBO has ordered featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) to begin negotiations for a rematch with ranked Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs). The two fighters have 15 days to put together a fight to fend off a purse bid.
Espinoza, 6’1″, defeated two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy last December 9, winning a twelve-round majority decision in Pembroke Pines, Florida. In the defeat, Robeisy lost his WBO 126lb title.
Robeisy, 5’6″, dropped Espinoza in the fifth round but was unable to finish him. It appeared that Robeisy had let his foot off the accelerator and was not showing a sense of urgency. Espinoza dominated the fight’s second half with his high work rate and looping punches. In the twelfth, Robeisy was hurt on the verge of being knocked out.
Since that fight, Robeisy bounced back from defeat to stop Brandon Leon Benitez in the seventh round on June 29 in Miami Beach, Florida. Despite the win, Robeisy did not show much improvement in his game, suggesting that he will avenge his loss against Espinoza.
The key to victory for Robeisy
The best chance Robeisy has to defeat Espinoza is to knock him out because he’s not going to outwork 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 pull it off.
At 6’1,” Espinoza is a freak of nature for the featherweight division, making him nearly impossible to beat. However, it’s not just Espinoza’s height that makes him so formidable. He can fight on the inside, his looping punches, unpredictable angles for his jabs and his uppercuts.
Robeisy can’t afford to fight on the inside or try to beat Espinoza to the 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 point shots. In other words, he has to be a sharpshooter to win.
Robeisy is not as fast in hands or feet as when he won his two gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. If you compare Robeisy’s performances in those Olympics to the stocky, slower fighter he is today, they are two different people.
Robeisy has lost a lot of his game, but he still has the power and ring IQ that made him a great amateur. He outplayed Rafael Espinoza for most of the fight, but tired in the second half. He didn’t have the engine to keep up with Espinoza. That probably won’t change in the rematch, so Robeisy should try to score a knockout early.
Espinoza successfully defended his WBO title on June 21, knocking out Sergio Chirino Sanchez in the 4th round in Las Vegas.
 to begin negotiations for a rematch with #1 ranked Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs).){kind=link}