Rafael Espinoza returns to the ring after producing one of the biggest upsets in boxing in 2023. He will defend his newly acquired world title for the first time. Here is our Espinoza vs Sanchez prediction.
Espinoza vs Sanchez Prediction: First Title Defense for El Divino
Rafael Espinoza Preview
Rafael Espinosa is an experienced 30-year-old Mexican boxer who is the current WBO featherweight champion. He made his professional debut in 2013 and has had 24 fights since then. He is undefeated with 20 wins by knockout.
Espinoza has a lot to prove after winning the belt in December 2023. Back then, he entered the contest against Robeisy Ramirez as a 7/1 underdog. Nobody believed in him as he was a fairly unknown fighter who had never fought anyone respectable before. But he produced one of the wildest performances we have ever seen.
He was close to losing in the 5th round after getting knocked down but it wasn’t enough to stop him. That knockdown changed something in Espinoza and the remaining six rounds were astonishing. In total, the Mexican threw 995 punches in 12 rounds. Unbelievable numbers next to the 376 of Ramirez, who was far more consistent with his accuracy.
The pressure must be huge after such a historic performance but El Divino shouldn’t be that worried as his upcoming opponent has never fought at the highest level. But before we can make a final Espinoza vs Sanchez prediction, let’s take a closer look at the challenger.
Sergio Chirino Sanchez Preview
Sergio Sanchez is a 29-year-old Mexican boxer who had his first fight in the professional ring in the fall of 2016. In total, he has 23 fights on his record. He won 22 (13 knockouts) and lost once all the way back in 2018.
Sanchez is in a similar position to the one of Espinoza last year. This will be his biggest fight and his first-ever away from Mexico. He has never faced a high-level boxer before and the majority of his opponents had either negative or barely positive records. But he is on a 13-fight win streak which earned him this title shot.
Our Rafael Espinoza vs Sergio Sanchez Prediction: El Divino is too big of a bite for Sanchez
On paper, the fighters have fought almost the same number of times but Espinoza is already more experienced after his last couple of fights. Surviving Ramirez and throwing 1000 shots are a testament to his growth as a boxer.
Espinoza is an absolute unit when compared to the average featherweight and he will probably move up sooner or later. There has never been a champion as tall as him in this weight class. He is 6’1 compared to the 5’9 of Sanchez. And he has a massive reach that allows him to throw countless jabs and control the distance.
Moreover, Espinoza has knocked out almost all of his opponents. He will not give Sanchez a second to breathe and will try to overwhelm him from the opening segment. As talented as the contender may be, he is not yet ready for this fight.
Final Espinoza vs Sanchez prediction: Espinoza by KO/TKO
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
