Rafael Espinoza vs Robeisy Ramirez Preview December 7th, 2024
Former WBO Featherweight Champion Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba attempts to regain his belt when he takes on on unbeaten Rafael Espinoza of Mexico in a rematch this Saturday, December 7th. The 12-rounder from Phoenix, Arizona, can be seen live in America on the ESPN platform while fans in the UK and Ireland can catch the fight on Sky Sports Plus. Ramirez dropped Espinoza in the fifth round in their first fight last December and was knocked down himself as he lost his crown via a majority decision. He rebounded in June with a seventh-round stoppage over Brandon Leon Benitez to win the vacant WBO NABO Featherweight Belt. Ramirez beat Isaac Dogboe by unanimous decision to take the vacant belt in April, 2023 and defended it against Satoshi Shimizu via a fifth-round TKO before losing to Espinoza. In his first defence of the title, Espinoza stopped Sergio Chirino Sanchez in the fourth round after dropping him in the first and third.
Ramirez vs Espinoza Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Rafael Espinoza +110
- Robeisy Ramirez -140
My Pick
The 30-year-old Espinoza enters the ring with a perfect mark of 25-0 with 21 Ko’s and has boxed 91 rounds since turning pro in 2013. He’s got plenty of power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 84 per cent and has stopped eight of his last nine opponents and 16 of his last 18. He’s gone the distance just four times and has fought 10 rounds just once and 12 rounds just once. Espinoza is listed at 6-feet-1-inch tall by Boxrec and if that’s true he’s a bit of a freak of nature for the 126 lb division.
Unfortunately there’s no information available on his reach however. This will be Espinoza’s fifth fight outside of Mexico and he took a huge step up in class against Ramirez but isn’t really didn’t do the same against the relatively unknown Chirino Sanchez in his first defence. Other than the win over Ramirez for the belt, Espinoza’s biggest wins have come over the likes of Carlos Ornelas, Aramis Solis, Alie Laurel, Gerardo Munoz and Rafael Ramirez. Also, just 11 of his 25 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record. However, he proved against Ramirez that he’s a world-class boxer.
Ramirez, a southpaw, is also 30 years old and now fights out of Las Vegas and has gone 104 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 with a mark of 14-2 with 9 Ko’s. He’s best known for his excellent amateur career which saw him win the Cuban National Championships as well as win gold at the 2010 AIBA Youth Championships and Youth Olympic Games as the 2011 Pan American Games, 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games and at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
After winning so much as an amateur, including two Olympic golds, Ramirez came out cold in his pro debut as he was dropped in the first round and lost an embarrassing four-round split decision to Adan Gonzales. After that, he won 13 straight fights with eight stoppages and beat Gonzales via a six-round unanimous decision in their rematch in July, 2020. He stepped up in class against Isaac Dogboe last year, dropped him in the 12th round and won a wide unanimous decision for the belt. His reign didn’t last long though as Espinoza got up from the canvas in the fifth round and dropped Ramirez in the 12th to beat him in a slugfest
Ramirez has also captured the vacant NABO Jr Featherweight title as a pro as well as the vacant WBO Global, and IBF USBA Featherweight Belts. He stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 68-inch reach, so gives up seven inches in height to Espinoza, and has pretty good power of his own as 64.3 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and has stopped five of his last seven opponents. Ramirez has all the tools to be a successful pro as he combines skill, speed and power with a high ring IQ. However, he learned after his pro debut and in his loss to Espinoza that he needs to work hard at his craft instead and stay focused at all times instead of taking anything for granted.
Prediction…
Espinoza has the decided edge in power and size but that’s where his advantages end but he came to fight against Ramirez the first time out and the two put on a contender for fight of the year. Espinoza matches Ramirez punch for punch but still doesn’t equal him when it comes to pure boxing skills and speed. Espinoza can once again attempt to use his size to keep Ramirez at a distance and constantly let his hands go or he’s going to be outboxed. This should be another action-paced and dramatic fight and I think Ramirez will know what to expect this time around and be ready to deal with it from the opening bell. I expect Ramirez to regain the belt this time in a close call once again.
Ramirez should be better prepared this time around.
Play Ramirez -140 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Rafael Espinoza betting • Robeisy Ramirez betting