Espinoza Runs Over Sanchez: Fight Stats and What's Next

From June 21 to June 22 in Las Vegas, USA, the WBO featherweight title fight (up to 57.2 kg) took place. The 30-year-old Mexican champion Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defended his title for the first time against 29-year-old compatriot Sergio Sanchez (22-2, 13 KOs).

Sanchez experienced three knockdowns. At the start of the match, he was caught by an uppercut from the champion. The second knockdown occurred in the third round after a body shot. Although the knockdown looked painful, Sergio continued the fight. Espinoza maintained the pressure, and at the end of the fourth round (2 minutes and 44 seconds), he landed another body shot, prompting the referee to stop the fight due to Sanchez's condition. TKO 4.

This was Rafael Espinoza's first stoppage win in the USA. Previously, he had won twice by decision. It was also his first WBO title defense. Espinoza became the champion at the end of 2023 by defeating two-time Olympic champion Robeisy Ramirez by decision.

In the undercard of the Mexican title showdown, there were two more title fights. Troy Isley (13-0, 5 KOs) defeated Javier Martinez (10-1-1, 3 KOs) in a bout for the WBO NABO middleweight title (up to 72.5 kg). Also, Andres Cortes (22-0, 12 KOs) beat Abraham Nova (23-2, 16 KOs) in a fight for the WBO NABO super featherweight title (up to 58.96 kg).

Fight Statistics

According to CompuBox statistics, Rafael Espinoza threw almost twice as many punches: 283 thrown by the champion compared to 153 by the challenger. Espinoza landed 101 punches (35.7%), while Sanchez landed 34 punches (22.2%).

Espinoza threw over a hundred more jabs than his opponent: 157 compared to 57. Sanchez landed 10 jabs (17.5%) compared to 38 accurate jabs from the WBO champion (24.2%).

The power punches statistics were also telling. Sergio Sanchez threw 96 power punches and landed 24 times (25%). Rafael Espinoza threw 126 power punches and landed 63 times (50%).

Regarding body shots, the challenger landed only 4 body shots, 1 of which was a power punch. Espinoza landed 16 body shots, 13 of which were power punches. It was these body punches that ended the fight for Rafael.

What's Next

Rafael Espinoza has several options. The first is a voluntary but much-discussed rematch. The victory that earned him the title was hard-fought. Robeisy Ramirez won the first half of their bout, knocked Espinoza down, and looked great. But Espinoza, even with a broken foot, managed to turn the tide and win by decision.

After the fight, they agreed to a rematch, but the contract was never signed. A rematch as a voluntary title defense could be in the cards.

The second option is a mandatory title defense against the top contender. This could likely be Ukrainian boxer Arnold Khegai (21-1-1, 13 KOs). The 32-year-old Ukrainian is set to face 35-year-old Colombian Belmar Preciado (22-7-1, 15 KOs) in August. If Khegai wins, he will become the mandatory challenger for Espinoza's title.