I’ll play this song again, just for the benefit of our new readers. Boxing used to be my thing. It’s how I broke into journalism way back in 1969, writing for a couple of New York based magazines. I covered the Los Angeles fight scene for 13 years, and it was an experience I’ll never forget.
As boxing became more commercial in the decades that followed and controlled by a handful of promoters, I began to lose interest. The talent became stale too, as fans here in the States became more interested in UFC events. But over the past few years, a fresh new crop of international talent has emerged, especially in the lighter divisions. Millionaire promoters like Top Rank’s Bob Arum, 93, has been smart enough to hold shows featuring these boxers in smaller venues across the country to revive interest in the sport. One of those warriors in this mix include WBO Featherweight Champion Rafael Espinosa, who grew up in Guadalajara with ties to San Antonio.
For starters, the 31 year old Espinosa isn’t the drinker and party hound that shaped the careers of old time stars like Ruben Olivares, Mando Ramos or Bobby Chacon. Known by his nickname “El Divino,” Rafael is a married family man who turned pro in 2013 and brought along slowly by his management crew, and is a of product of modest sites in Mexico and occasionally in border towns like Tijuana and Nogales. Espinosa stands at 6′-1″, extremely tall for a man who weighs only 126 pounds. Because he has a large reach advantage over most of his opponents, Rafael has a unique, stick and move style similar to the late Muhammad Ali. Espinosa has never lost a bout, compiling a record of 27 straight victories. Even more impressive, 24 of his wins have come by knockout, proving that he also packs a powerful punch.
“I’m a Mexican and know that fans want to see lots of action,” explains Espinosa. “I’ve learned how to attack from the inside and land my knockout blows.”
After analyzing Espinosa’s last five fights, I’ve developed an appreciation for his unique defensive skills and knockout attack. Rafael barely broke a sweat in what would be a tune-up for his first title shot, disposing of Ally Mwerangi in the second round of a battle in Mexico City. That lack of a workout did little to prepare Espinosa for the most important challenge of his career…the opportunity to win a championship belt.
On December 9th, 2023, Espinosa and Cuban champion Robeisy Ramirez engaged in one of the most entertaining fights I’ve seen in years (several links on YouTube offer views of the bout). During the first half of the scheduled 12 round battle, Ramirez looked to have the advantage in the fast paced action, even sending Espinosa to the canvas in the fifth stanza. A southpaw, the champion relied on his potent right hook that stunned the challenger with regularity. And with the fight staged in south Florida, Ramirez had plenty of support from Cuban fans in the crowd.
Despite seemingly behind on points, the well conditioned Espinosa continued to be the aggressor, catching Ramirez off guard. Working off a stiff left jab, he used a punishing body attack to work underneath and connect with his patented right uppercut, one that dropped Ramirez as he slumped against the ropes.. The fight went the distance, which normally favors the champion in close verdicts. However, El Divino pulled off the upset by split decision.
About six months later on June 21st, Espinosa was successful in the first defense of his title, easily stopping Sergio Chirino in the fourth round after knocking him down three times. Then came the rematch against Ramirez on December 7th in Phoenix. Unfortunately, the fans were not treated to the same dog fight that occurred in their initial meeting. Espinosa dominated the affair from the start and after landing a slashing right hand to the left eye in the sixth round, the Cuban turned his back and told the referee “no mas.”
That brings us up to date for Espinosa’s third defense of his belt against Texan Edward Vasquez on May 4th, which created an interesting scenario. Co-headlining on the card that evening in Las Vegas was Naoya Inoue, who wears four different crowns in lighter weight divisions. Like Espinosa, he’s undefeated and stopped his opponent Ramon Cardenas that night, but not before hitting the canvas himself. And after Rafael took care of his foe, talk of an Espinosa-Inoue match was a hot topic. Personally, I don’t see that happening because Inoue has competed as small as a bantamweight, making such a match pure fantasy.
One of pro boxing’s biggest flaws, in the past and currently, is that there are too many cooks in the kitchen. The World Boxing Organization (WBO), the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Association (WBA), usually recognize different champions and rankings. Arum, the promoter, would like to unify the featherweight class, along with all weight divisions, and Espinosa says he doesn’t care who he faces next.
“I’ll look at film and listen to our team, but I prepare the same way for every fight,” reveals Rafael.
That’s pretty much what you get with Espinosa, a hard working solid guy and very religious, which explains his nickname “El Divino.” And when he eventually retires, you might find him in a courtyard or plaza somewhere, attracting a crowd wth his beautiful voice, Vicente Fernandez style!
