Rafael Espinoza continues to be a tall order for any featherweight.
The 6 ft 1in 126lbs WBO titlist retained his belt with an 11th-round knockout of Ukraine’s Arnold Khegai. The one-sided bloodletting ended when Khegai was not permitted to leave his corner by his team, which triggered a 10-count from the referee. The official time was 15 seconds into the 11th round in their ESPN Knockout/Top Rank Classics FAST channel-aired headliner Saturday evening from Arena Coliseo in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
“I’m happy because I got the result that I expected,” Espinoza told BoxingScene in provided quotes after the victory. “I also wanted to put on a show for the people.
“I could’ve kept my distance all night, but I wanted to give a show as always.”
The full homecoming treatment was applied to the event, as Espinoza was proudly reminded throughout the evening of his surroundings. He was welcomed to the ring to the tunes of a mariachi band, in celebration of his first fight in his home country in more than two years. The band also struck a tune between every round.
An obvious height and reach difference existed between titleholder and challenger, but Espinoza also provided a massive disparity in talent between the two. He was able to feast largely on the strength of his long jab in the early rounds, as Khegai struggled to close the gap.
Action picked up in the third round. Espinoza threw and landed in combination and was particularly effective with his right hand over the top. Khegai managed to work his way inside for the first time in the fight, landing looping right hands over Espinoza’s tight guard and at one point even bullied the regional favorite into the ropes.
Khegai carried over the good fortunes into the fourth round and for the first time offered the threat of an upset, even if the moment was short-lived.
A right hand by the visiting challenger snapped back the head of Espinoza, a sequence that produced a collective gasp from the sparse but vocal crowd on hand. Espinoza responded with a series of uppercuts at center ring. It was enough to bust open the nose and left eye of Khegai, as a “Divino” rally cry filled the arena towards the end of the frame.
Espinoza returned to his jab in the fifth, which he used to set up long uppercuts from the outside. Khegai attempted to counter but missed the mark with his right hands. Blood continued to pour from his nose as Espinoza confidently threw power shots in combination.
Marvin Somodio, Khegai’s head trainer, instructed his charge to offer more head movement, a tactic that was an issue in the sixth. Espinoza was sharp with his combinations, whether at close quarters or his desired distance from long range.
A clash of heads prompted a brief timeout in the seventh, along with a warning issued to Khegai for initiating the infraction. Espinoza again complained of a headbutt, but time was called to examine the worsened cut under Khegai’s left eye. Action soon resumed, at which point Espinoza connected with consecutive one-twos over the top. Khegai responded with a right hand and a left hook, but Espinoza shook it off and went on the attack.
The crowd was brought to its feet as Espinoza emptied his clip in the final 45 seconds of the round. Khegai wobbled and staggered into the ropes but managed to remain upright and to the bell.
Espinoza raced across the ring to start the eighth, while Khegai was slow to rise from his corner stool. A jab and right hand immediately found the mark for the defending titleholder, to which Khegai failed to offer a response. More right hands from Espinoza worsened Khegai’s already swollen left eye. A pair of looping right hands by Khegai were enough to avoid a stoppage, though Espinoza deflected both shots.
Somodio informed his boxer that the ninth round was “his last chance” to show something, as there was growing concern for his health. The heart was there, but the body wasn’t quite willing as the battered challenger failed to fend off a charged-up Espinoza. A steady stream of jabs and chopping right hands set up a final right to the temple, which caused Khegai’s legs to wobble.
Khegai opened the 10th with an overhand right, again providing just enough hope to allow the bout to continue. Espinoza spent the rest of the round using his long jab and straight right hand to push his challenger around the ring. A series of body shots connected for Espinoza, though Khegai landed another right hand over the top just before the bell.
It proved to be the last act for Khegai, 23-3-1 (14 KOs). A decision was made in his corner to not allow the determined boxer to come out for the 11th round. Espinoza, 28-0 (24 KOs), was relaxed on his stool, while Khegai’s entire team – including longtime manager Sam Katkovski – was on the ring apron as the boxer was counted out at the start of the round.
The setback marked Khegai's first stoppage defeat through 27 pro bouts.
“I know that nobody has ever stopped him before, and I’m the first to do that,” Espinoza proudly noted. “He’s a powerful fighter, but tonight I showed that I’m better.”
Espinoza has scored stoppage victories in each of his four title defenses. His lone bout to go the distance with the WBO belt at stake came in his December 2023 title-winning effort over Robeisy Ramirez, a majority decision in his US debut. Both boxers hit the deck, but it was a 12th-round knockdown by Espinoza that sealed the victory.
With Saturday’s win marking his final fight of the year, Espinoza will celebrate the two-year anniversary of his reign in December and enter 2026 as arguably the best featherweight in the world.
Of course, the best way to prove that is to get his fellow titleholders in the ring – a primary goal of his for the new year.
“I don’t know why we haven’t landed any of the other champions at featherweight,” Espinoza told BoxingScene. “That will be a priority in 2026. Nobody is waiting for [Naoya] Inoue anymore; he’s not moving up, so that excuse is out. We need an undisputed champion at featherweight.
“I am going to push my team to get those guys in the ring. I don’t care about the order, as long as they happen. They very clearly don’t want to fight each other, so I’ll go chase them all.”
