It was last December when Robeisi Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) fought in a hard-fought fight in Miami, where both men touched the canvas after 36 minutes of all-out assault. war, a new champion was crowned.
(Credit: Top Rank)
Rafael Espinoza achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion by winning the WBO featherweight title, landing nearly 1,000 punches in the bout. He was resilient, determined and persistent, overcoming a foot injury he sustained in the 5th round when he was knocked down. Here it is, December again, and we’re days away from what should be an epic rematch.
Both are looking to improve from the first match, Espinoza due to a foot injury and Ramirez due to personal issues that affected his performance. Robeisi’s father was ill during the game and was affected by his father’s condition during training camp. He promised to do better this time and regain his title. Their match will co-headline the Emmanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez card this Saturday, December 7, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Robeisi Ramirez was outmatched by a relentless attack that he could not stop. Espinoza landed 121 punches in the 12th round, demonstrating that he has great stamina and endurance as he is able to land so many punches for the rest of the bout. He managed to land 45 punches in the round, overwhelming Ramirez and dropping him at the end of the round.
If Espinoza can improve on this performance, he will create defensive challenges for Ramirez. He has to be careful not to stifle the attack like in the first match and not to strike recklessly. He has to be more controlled and more precise in his shots.
He has a 6 inch range advantage and must use it effectively when fighting at long range. If he can control his distance, it will allow him to be much more accurate with his shots and ultimately make it harder for Ramirez to counter.
Espinoza is not on the defensive and is taking unnecessary punishment for his bloodlust; tends to stay in the pocket longer than it should. Ramirez has power, and if he sees an opening, he’ll take it. He will try to take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way, as he did in the first match when he scored a knockdown in the 5th round.
Robeisi has an Olympic pedigree and, when he chooses, he can box brilliantly. When fighting the tall, lanky Satoshi Shimizu, who stood at 5’11 and had a 3.5 head advantage over him, he closed the distance and broke through his guard by leading with an effective jab and following it up with combinations.
Defensively, he used a high guard, parried and slid shots, and moved effectively out of range. He didn’t do these things against Espinosa in the first match; he must do them in the second leg to be successful. Raphael has higher hit resistance, longer reach, and is overall much more skilled than Shimizu.
If Ramirez repeats the mistake of the first fight by choosing to stay in the pocket and hit Espinoza, he may be overwhelmed by the volume, he needs to box him intelligently using in and out moves like he did with Shimizu. Both boxers stated that they were not at their best in the first match, they recognize their mistakes and will try to improve which should make this match very interesting.
Source: Compubok
