Part of the joy of the holiday season is revisiting things you’ve seen before. Sitting down to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Elf, or another favorite holiday movie is as much a part of the holiday festivities as caroling or unwrapping presents.
On Saturday night, two title fights that are also rematches will make for an exciting card in Phoenix, Arizona. Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KO) will defend his featherweight title against Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KO). The main event will see Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KO) and Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KO) square off for Navarrete’s junior lightweight championship.
Rafael Espinoza was a 15-1 underdog in the first fight against former two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez in December 2023. Espinoza won a majority decision to take the title from Ramirez. Espinoza overcame a knockdown in round five to turn the tide of the fight, outscoring Ramirez 103 to 33 in rounds 10-12 and scoring a knockdown of his own in the twelfth round. The punch stats for the entire match were equally outlandish; Espinoza threw 995 punches to Ramirez’s 376 over the course of twelve rounds.
Ramirez is a slight favorite with -125 odds to avenge his loss against Espinoza.
While Ramirez is not looking past getting revenge on Espinoza, he has another potential opponent, Naoya Inoue. Should “The Monster” decide to move up to the featherweight division next year and aim to become a five-division world champion, Robeisy Ramirez is waiting.
“I saw Inoue in person. He’s a great fighter and a legend. But my impression is that he’s small at 126 pounds and I’m not even that big for my division. He wouldn’t be either. He’s a little small for to move up and at some point you hit your limits. There’s only one Manny Pacquiao. At some point the weight from the guys in the divisions above you gets to be too much. My boxing is strong, and I feel like I can finish Inoue’s story.”
Before Ramirez can worry about Inoue, he has his hands full with Rafael Espinoza. Espinoza has fought once since upsetting Ramirez last December, defeating Sergio Chirino Sanchez via TKO in round four in June. Only twice in his career has Espinoza taken a fight into the seventh round (the first fight with Ramirez and a ten-round unanimous decision win over Carlos Ornelas in January 2021). Although Espinoza turned pro six years before Ramirez and has nine more pro fights, Ramirez has fought more rounds as a pro (104) than Espinoza (91).
Ramirez says he wants to show the best version of himself on Saturday. Espinoza believes he has two major advantages in the fight. “Yes, we all know about my height advantage, but I also have another advantage, and that is my heart. So I will show my heart by giving everything in the ring this Saturday.”
Emanuel Navarrete defeated Oscar Valdez the first time these two Mexican fighters clashed in August 2023. A warrior in defeat, Valdez absorbed the punishment from Navarrete in a way that was at once honorable and unpleasant. The fight was exciting, although Navarrete earned a wide unanimous decision victory.
While Valdez has a stellar record with just two losses in 34 pro fights, the two defeats have come within his last four fights. Shakur Stevenson outboxed Valdez to hand him his first loss in April 2022. A decision win over Adam Lopez and a knockout of Liam Wilson in his last fight made Valdez’s loss to Navarrete.
For Valdez, who turns 34 in a few weeks, if he doesn’t win on Saturday, many will wonder if he should hang up his gloves. On Wednesday, Valdez addressed that sentiment. “No-no, it’s win-or-win for me. I don’t think about retirement because I’m already a very optimistic person. Very positive thinker. There is no need to think about retirement. The moment you start thinking about retirement, you should retire. You shouldn’t think about that. In my mind right now, I love this sport way too much.” “I love it way more than my opponent does. I bet he doesn’t love it like I do.”
Emanuel Navarrete is the champion, a 2½-to-1 favorite in this fight, and has already defeated Valdez, but what makes Saturday’s rematch so intriguing is that Navarrete hasn’t fared well in his recent fights either. Navarrete has fought twice since defeating Valdez, with a draw and loss in those bouts. Last November, Navarrete fought Robson Conceicao for a majority before moving up in weight for his latest contest in May. Navarrete was unsuccessful in his bid to become a four-division champion, losing to Denys Berinchyk in a match for a vacant 135-pound championship. Back in the 130-pound weight class, Navarrete looks to get back in the win column Saturday night.
Many Mexican fans will be present at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. For each man, facing another Mexican fighter in front of crowds of their countrymen should motivate Valdez and Navarrete to have another great fight.
This Saturday evening you can gather around the big TV and enjoy the gift of two great rematches.