WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza and Robeisy Ramirez have not reached an agreement for their rematch. Top Rank will reportedly inform the WBO to let them know the status of the failed talks. As such, there will be a purse bid scheduled for October 11th.
Salvador Rodriguez reports the news of the failed Espinoza-Robeisy 2 negotiations. The two will now go to a purse bid.
The 6’1″ Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) dethroned WBO 126-lb champion Robeisy (14-2, 9 KOs) on December 9 of last year, earning a 12-round majority decision in Pembroke Pines, Florida. won The scores were 113-113, 114-112 and 115-111.
Two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy will have to find a way to deal with the sheer height and reach of Espinoza in the rematch. At 5’6″, Robeisy is too short and lacks the punch output to defeat Espinoza in a close fight.
Where Robeisy found success was fighting on the outside, throwing hard singles and then escaping before being caught by the looping shots of the long-armed Espinoza.
Espinoza’s height makes him a freak for the 126-lb division, as there are no high-level fighters in the weight class with that kind of size. What makes Espinoza even more dangerous is his arsenal. He possesses a mean uppercut that he throws in close enough that he gets a lot of torque.
Robeisy’s best chance to win the rematch against Espinoza is to knock him out. Ramirez, 30, had Espinoza on the canvas in the fifth round, but couldn’t put him away. Espinoza then came on late to dominate the championship rounds, knocking Robeisy flat in the 12th.
“Top Rank has informed the WBO that it has failed to reach an agreement between Rafael ‘Divino’ Espinoza and Robeisy ‘Tren’ Ramirez in a featherweight championship rematch. So there will be a purse bid on October 11 with a minimum of 150 thousand dollars. Espinoza had an agreement with TR, but not Ramirez,” said Salvador Rodriguez X.
Someone is going to figure out how to beat Espinoza sooner or later. If it’s not Robeisy in the rematch, eventually there’s going to be a fighter with enough power to knock him down. Robeisy has the IQ and pedigree to get the job done, but he needs to fight a lot smarter to win. He played to Espinoza’s strengths last time by battling him on the inside, and he was outworked.
