Rafael Espinoza Defends Featherweight Title Against Edward Vazquez In Co-Main On Inoue Vs. Cardenas Event

WBO featherweight champion Rafael ‘El Divino’ Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) will defend against #11-ranked Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) on the Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas card on Sunday, May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Vazquez has two narrow defeats in fights that he came close to winning against Raymond Ford and Joe Cordina. Many fans had Vazquez beating Cordina in their fight on November 4, 2023 in Monte Carlo, but the judges felt the British fighter had done enough.

Espinoza vs. Vazquez is a good enough fight to be the main event on this card because it’s more competitive on paper than the Inoue-Cardenas headliner. That’s a mismatch.

Rafael’s Size Advantage

The 6’1″ Espinoza is coming off a sixth round injury stoppage of former WBO 126-lb champion Robeisy Ramirez on December 7th last year. That was Espinoza’s second win over the two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy, and a signal that he’s just too good for the Cuban talent.

Vazquez, 5’7″, will have to figure out a way to deal with the height of the stork-like Espinoza because he will get bombed out if he can’t find a strategy. His lack of punching power is going to make it tougher because he would need that to defeat the much taller champion. It’s not that Espinoza uses his height to fight from the outside.

What makes him so difficult is his long arms and the way that his shots loop, making them hard to see. Espinoza also has a high work rate, which creates even more difficulties. However, he can be hurt, as we saw in his first fight with Robeisy when he was dropped late in the fifth round. He was saved from being knocked out by the round ending.

“Rafael Espinoza is a towering featherweight with the power and skills to be a world champion for years to come, and we’re excited to showcase him on such a meaningful weekend for Mexican boxing,” said promoter Bob Arum “Edward Vazquez is a tough, determined challenger who knows this is his shot to change everything. Fans at T-Mobile Arena are in for a treat as Espinoza shares the spotlight with the incomparable Naoya Inoue on this historic Cinco de Mayo card.”