Robeisi Ramirez’s quest to reclaim the WBO featherweight title from Rafael Espinoza came to a disappointing end on Saturday night. After five rounds of intriguing action, Ramirez landed a single right hand in the sixth round, awarding Espinoza the TKO win.
For most of the fight, Espinoza landed clear elbows when the two fighters came together. Despite the fouls, the action was fairly consistent, with Espinoza throwing more punches but Ramirez connecting with cleaner counter shots as he worked his way up against his much taller opponent.
As Round 6 began, Espinoza landed a solid — though not overly heavy — right hand in the opening moments. Ramirez immediately turned away, raised his hands, and the fight was stopped.
“In the fourth round he hit me with a couple of follow through elbows,” Ramirez said after the fight. “I complained to the referee about it and he supposedly did his job. … If I’m not protected, I have to make a decision for my own health. I had double vision and I had to leave the ring with myself. Health … I can’t see out of my right eye.”
Ramirez would say he was happy with the decision to walk away mid-fight, even though the broadcast team blasted the 30-year-old former champion for not fighting.
“I landed a clean shot, right hand and he felt that power,” Espinoza said of the result. “I think he sensed my strength and pressure… the tide of the fight was coming in my favor and he knew what was coming next.”
With the win, Espinoza ran his career record to a perfect 26-0 with 22 stoppage wins. He took the title from Ramirez in December 2023 via majority decision and made one title defense before defeating Ramirez for the second time in Saturday’s rematch.
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