At the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida, Mexican fighter Rafael Espinoza finally grabbed his long-awaited world title opportunity with both hands.
Espinoza (24-0, 20 KOs) clinched the WBO featherweight world title through a majority decision victory against Cuban boxing wizard Robeisy Ramirez (13-2, 8 KOs). Using his height and reach to his advantage, Espinoza initially kept Ramirez at a distance. However, Ramirez shook things up by dropping Espinoza with a right hook at the end of round five.
Despite Ramirez appearing to claw back control, Espinoza roared back in round nine, regaining momentum with vigorous combinations. Pushing for a dramatic finish, Espinoza dropped an exhausted Ramirez before the final bell. The judges scored the fight 113-113, 114-112, and 115-111 in Espinoza’s favor.
Espinoza, reflecting on his victory, said, “I just thought about winning… I knew I had to drop him to win. I put my heart into it. I think I’ve had a broken foot since the second round. But my family, all of Mexico watching, kept me going.”
Ramirez, on his part, commented, “We did what we always do… He got his second wind. I tried to catch mine. He got the knockdown. I thought the fight was won. But that’s what the judges decided.”
In the co-feature, Puerto Rican prodigy Xander Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) kept his unbeaten record intact with a fifth-round TKO against Spanish veteran Jorge Fortea (24-4-1, 9 KOs). Zayas dominated Fortea with relentless pressure and precise body shots, leading to a decisive body blow in the fifth round.
In other bouts, featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (9-0, 6 KOs) made a statement in the featherweight division with a second-round knockout of Jason Sanchez (16-5, 9 KOs). Heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. (8-0, 8 KOs) preserved his perfect KO ratio by stopping Curtis Harper (14-11, 9 KOs) in the eighth round. Jahi Tucker (10-1-1, 5 KOs) and Francisco Daniel Veron (13-0-1, 10 KOs) fought to a majority draw in a junior middleweight clash. Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (11-0, 7 KOs) earned a sixth-round TKO over Keith Hunter (15-2, 9 KOs) in a junior welterweight fight. U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (11-0, 5 KOs) secured a split decision against Jimmer Espinosa (15-2, 14 KOs) in another junior welterweight contest. Lastly, Polish heavyweight Damian “Polish Hussar” Knyba (13-0, 7 KOs) triumphed over Michael Coffie (13-5, 10 KOs) in an eight-round unanimous decision.
