Robeisy Ramirez’s quest to regain the WBO featherweight title from Rafael Espinoza came to a disappointing end on Saturday night. After five rounds of intriguing action, Ramirez quit after taking a single right hand in the sixth round, awarding Espinoza the TKO victory.
For much of the fight, Espinoza was landing 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 the cleaner counter shots as he navigated his way inside against his far taller rival.
As Round 6 started, Espinoza landed a solid — though not overly heavy — right hand in the opening moments. Ramirez immediately turned away, raised his hand and the fight was waived off.
“In the fourth round he hit me with a few elbows in the follow through,” Ramirez said after the fight. “I complained to the referee about it and he supposedly did his job. … I had to make a decision for my own health if I’m not being protected. I had double vision and I had to leave the ring with my own health. … I just could not see out of my right eye.”
Ramirez would go on to say he was happy with his decision to walk away mid-fight, though the broadcast team blasted the 30-year-old former champion for not fighting on.
“I landed a clean shot, the right hand and he felt that power,” Espinoza said of the result. “I think he was feeling my power 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 victories. He took the title from Ramirez in December 2023 via majority decision and made one title defense ahead of beating Ramirez for a second time in Saturday’s rematch.
