Rafael Espinoza vs Robeisy Ramirez II Predictions: Rafael repeats or Robeisy’s revenge?

WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza defends his title against a familiar foe this Saturday, December 7. ‘El Divino’ goes up against Robeisy Ramirez for the second time on a night rich with rematches. The headliner of this Sky Sports Main Event card sees Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez renew hostilities in their own rematch. The show will emanate from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Here are my Espinoza vs Ramirez predictions ahead of this featherweight title fight.

It is easy to see why this rematch is taking place. The first fight, two days shy of a year ago when these men take to the ring on Saturday, was close and dramatic. Both men hit the deck before a majority decision was rendered in Espinoza’s favour. The title changed hands as Ramirez fell in his second title defence.

The first outing was a Fight of the Year contender and fans are hoping for a similar level of action and excitement here. Both men look poised to deliver it, having each scored knockout wins in their most recent contests.

Both Espinoza and Ramirez have fought once since their first meeting. The champion retained his title with a fourth round stoppage of Sergio Sanchez in June. Meanwhile, the challenger stayed sharp with a seventh round knockout of Brandon Benitez a week later. 

Ramirez will know how close he came in the first fight. If he had stayed off the canvas in the final stanza, he would have got a split decision nod on the scorecards and retained his WBO belt. Boxing is often a sport decided on the finest of margins. 

Ramirez knows he can hurt Espinoza. He did so in the fifth round, but failed to press the advantage. If he hurts his man again, the Cuban could throw caution to the wind. As exceptional as their first outing was, we could see an even better fight this time.

Equally, Espinoza knows he has what it takes to put Ramirez in trouble. Will each man be cautious of the other’s strengths? Or will we see a race-to-the-finish, both men determined not to allow the cards to decide it this time?

Espinoza has never lost a fight, winning 25 bouts with 21 knockouts. Ramirez is the only man to take him the distance in the last three years. The challenger is also the only fighter to have extended the Mexican the full 12 championship rounds. The challenger enters the ring on Saturday with the knowledge that he is the toughest opponent Espinoza has ever faced.

Of course, we have seen that Espinoza occupies a similar position for Ramirez. The Cuban has lost just twice in his career. His first defeat came on a shocking pro debut, where he was outpointed over four rounds by Adan Gonzales. That misstep was corrected a few fights later, when Ramirez won all six rounds against his conqueror.

But the Espinoza loss was not the early-career stumble of a newly-minted pro. It came when Ramirez was the reigning WBO featherweight champion. He will be acutely aware that Espinoza got the better of him in an absolute firefight. Now, Ramirez must dig deep in the unfamiliar position of challenger. The 30-year-old now aims to become a two-time world champion against a man who knows exactly how to beat him.

Espinoza vs Ramirez II Fight Odds

The challenger is priced at 5/6 in this one while Espinoza is 20/21 to repeat the victory. A draw is marketed at 16/1.

Espinoza vs Ramirez II Full Card

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez

Rafael Espinoza vs. Robeisy Ramirez

Lindolfo Delgado vs. Jackson Marinez

Giovani Santillan vs. Fredrick Lawson

Richard Torrez Jr. vs. Isaac Munoz Gutierrez

Albert Gonzalez vs. Gerardo Antonio Perez

Art Barrera Jr. vs. Juan Carlos Campos Medina

Steven Navarro vs. Gabriel Bernardi Cruz

Demler Zamora vs. Roman Ruben Reynoso

Cesar Morales vs. Miguel Gonzales

Espinoza vs Ramirez II Prediction

Repeat or revenge? A boxing tale as old as the sport itself. Ramirez came agonisingly close last time out, while Espinoza found reserves of energy and resilience we had never seen from the Mexican.

He will need to dip into those reserves again. But I feel Espinoza secure a psychological edge in that first frenetic bout. Will it be enough to carry him through here? Perhaps. I toyed with the draw given the paper-thin separation of the scorecards last time out. But I’ll hop off the fence and say I like Espinoza to repeat the trick here at 20/21.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.