It was last December when Robey Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) fought in a tight fight in Miami, where both went to the mat and after 36 minutes of all-out fought. war, a new champion has begun.
(Credit: Runk Top)
Rafael Espinoza achieved his year-long dream of becoming a world champion by capturing the WBO bantamweight title and landing nearly 1,000 punches in the process. He was resilient, determined and tenacious, he overcame a leg injury in the 5th round, which he suffered during a knockdown. Well, it’s December once again and we find ourselves days away from what should be an epic reunion.
Both are trying to improve from the first game, Espinoza because of his leg injury and Ramirez because of personal problems that affected his performance. Robespierre’s father was ill during the run-up to the match and was affected by his father’s condition during training. He vowed to do better this time and win back his title. Their match will take place alongside the Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez card on Saturday, December 7 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Robey Ramirez was defeated by a relentless volume attack that could not be stopped. Espinoza threw 121 punches in the 12th round, showing that he has high endurance and stamina and was able to throw so many punches until the end of the match. He was able to land 45 powerful punches in the round, knocking out Ramirez and dropping him at the end of the round.
If Espinoza can improve on that performance, he will pose a defensive challenge for Ramirez. He has to be careful not to press his attack like in the first game and not to hit carelessly. He needs to be more controlled and accurate with his shots.
He has a 6″ reach advantage and should use it effectively through ranged combat. If he can control the distance, it will allow him to be much more accurate with his shots and ultimately make it more difficult for Ramirez to counter.
Espinoza is not sound defensively and takes unnecessary punishment due to his bloodlust; he tends to stay in the pocket longer than necessary. Ramirez has power and if he sees an opening, he will take it. He tries to take advantage of every opportunity given to him, as in the first game, when he scored in the 5th round.
Robesi has Olympic pedigree and can make boxing look great when he wants to. When he fought the tall and lanky Satoshi Shimizu, who stood at 5’11 and had a 3.5 reach advantage over him, he closed the distance and raised his guard with an effective jab followed by a mixed punch.
Defensively, he used a high guard, used long shots and slides, and was efficient out of the box. He didn’t do that in the first game against Espinoza; he must do them in the return game to succeed. Raphael has more impact resistance, longer reach, and is generally much more skilled than Shimizu.
If Ramirez repeats the mistake of the first game by choosing to stay in the pocket and duke it out with Espinosa, he can be overwhelmed by the volume, he needs to box him smartly using in-and-out movement like Shimizu. . Both fighters stated that they were not at their best in the first match, admit their mistakes and will try to make this a very interesting match.
Source: Compubox
