It was last December when Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) fought in a hard-fought battle in Miami, where both touched the canvas and after 36 minutes of an all-out war, a new champion was crowned.
(Credit: Top Rank)
Rafael Espinoza accomplished his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion by capturing the WBO featherweight championship, throwing nearly 1,000 punches in the match. He was resilient, determined, and tenacious, overcoming a foot injury he suffered in the 5th round when he was knocked down. Here it is, December once again, and we find ourselves days away from what should be an epic rematch.
Both seek to improve from the first match, Espinoza because of his foot injury and Ramirez due to personal issues that affected his performance. Robeisy’s father was ill during the lead-up to the match and was affected by his father’s condition during training camp. He’s vowed to do better this time around and recapture his title. Their match will co-headline the Emanuel Navarrette versus Oscar Valdez card this Saturday, December 7th, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Robeisy Ramirez was outdueled by a relentless volume attack he could not stop. Espinoza threw 121 punches in the 12th round, demonstrating he has great stamina and endurance, being able to throw that many punches till the end of the match. He was able to land a fight-high 45 power punches in the round, overwhelming Ramirez and dropping him late in the round.
If Espinoza can improve upon this performance, he will create defensive challenges for Ramirez. He must be careful not to smother his attack as he did in the first match and not throw punches recklessly. He must be more controlled and precise with his punches.
He has a 6-inch reach advantage and must utilize it effectively by fighting at long range. If he can control the distance, it will allow him to be much more accurate with his punches and ultimately make it more difficult for Ramirez to counter.
Espinoza is not defensively sound and takes unnecessary punishment due to his thirst for blood; he tends to stay in the pocket longer than he should. Ramirez has power, and if he sees an opening, he will take it. He will seek to capitalize on any and every opportunity he is given, as he did in the first match when he scored the knocked down in the 5th round.
Robeisy has an Olympic pedigree and, when he chooses to, can box brilliantly. When he fought the tall, lengthy Satoshi Shimizu, who stood at 5’11 and held a 3.5 reach advantage over him, he closed the distance and penetrated his guard by leading with an effective up jab and following it up with combination punching.
Defensively, he utilized a high guard, parried and slipped punches, and moved out of range effectively. He did not do these things against Espinoza in the first match; he must do them in the rematch to be successful. Rafael has greater punch resistance, a longer reach, and, overall, is much more skilled than Shimizu.
If Ramirez repeats the mistake of the first match, by choosing to stay in the pocket and slug it out with Espinoza, he may be overwhelmed with the volume, he must box him intelligently by utilizing in-and-out movement as he did with Shimizu. Both boxers have stated they were not at their best in the first match, recognize their mistakes and will seek to improve which should make this a very interesting match.
Source: Compubox
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