Photo: Mikey Williams / Top RankLAS VEGAS – Rafael Espinoza has targeted becoming a fixture of Cinco de Mayo after his contest with Edward Vazquez.
Mexico’s Espinoza will make his third defense of the WBO featherweight title on the undercard of Naoya Inoue-Ramon Cardenas on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, aware of the significance of the occasion and the reality that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – who fights William Scull on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – may not for much longer be the focal point of the Mexican holiday weekend.
Espinoza, 31, transformed his career when in December 2023 he unexpectedly dethroned Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez in one of the fights of the year, and Sunday’s date with the 29-year-old Vazquez represents an opportunity for him to continue to enhance his reputation.
The great Marco Antonio Barrera, a confidante who has accompanied Espinoza to Vegas, has spoken of him as a suitable opponent for Inoue should Inoue, as has been speculated, move up from junior featherweight in 2026.
In the build-up to his fight with Scull, Alvarez, 34, has also spoken of his plans to retire by “37, 38,” and Espinoza told BoxingScene: “It’s one of those dates that I’ve always watched and seen, and wanted to be there. Now that it’s here, it feels amazing.
“Julio Cesar Chavez [Snr] is the first one to come [to mind] – he always had these dates. I’m going to win my position, and this Sunday I’m going to show it.
“Boxing is time. I’m not in a hurry. I’ll get what I deserve in time.
“[Inoue is] a fight that would take me to the next level, make me a Mexican legend. Of course I would like that fight.
“I’m here to stay.”
Inoue has confirmed that he is to fight Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September. There also exists formative plans for him to fight Nick Ball of England in December and Junto Nakatani in Japan in 2026 in what perhaps increasingly represents the most appealing fight in the world.
It is tempting to conclude that Espinoza, at 6ft 1ins, may struggle to remain at featherweight for as long as it is necessary for him to do so to fight the Japanese icon Inoue, regardless of his confidence of victory over Vazquez, whose two defeats came against Joe Cordina and Raymond Ford.
“I’m very disciplined,” Espinoza said. “That’s why I make weight. Up until now, my body responds. The way I’ve been so far, I think I could go five or six more fights at this weight.
“I think [Vazquez’s] strength is, he throws a lot of punches. His weakness is he’s going to be in front of me.”
