FORMIDABLE champion Rafael Espinoza is gearing up to make the third defence of his WBO world featherweight title against sturdy contender Edward Vazquez.
The pair will collide at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on May 4, featuring on the undercard of Naoya Inoue’s undisputed clash with Ramon Cardenas.
Espinoza, 26-0 (22 KOs), claimed his belt in 2023 when he edged a majority decision – pulling off a sizable upset in the process – against Olympic gold medallist Robeisy Ramirez.
It was a performance that largely showcased his refined range control, with the towering Mexican’s awkward style representing a nightmare for any fighter at 126lbs.
In his following outing, Espinoza scored an emphatic fourth-round stoppage victory over Sergio Sanchez before ending his rematch against Ramirez last December with a destructive sixth-round finish.
His next opponent, meanwhile, is ranked number 11 by the WBO and has only ever lost to world class opposition.
Former world champion Raymond Ford was the first to hand Vazquez, 17-2 (4 KOs) a professional blemish after edging a closely contested split decision back in 2022.
Joe Cordina, another former titlist, then retained his IBF belt up at 130lbs with a majority decision victory against ‘Kid’ the following year.
Now campaigning back down at featherweight, the 29-year-old is set to provide Espinoza with a stern test at the very least, just as he did against Ford and Cordina.
‘El Divino,’ however, will undoubtedly be targeting a unification with any of the three remaining champions – Nick Ball, Stephen Fulton and Angelo Leo – beyond his next assignment.
