Rafael Espinoza will defend his WBO featherweight world title against Arnold Khegai on November 15 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The 12-round championship fight will headline a Zanfer Boxing-promoted, Top Rank-heavy card in what marks Espinoza’s long-awaited homecoming.
Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs), from Guadalajara, captured the WBO title in December 2023 with a thrilling majority decision win over Robeisy Ramirez, scoring a dramatic 12th-round knockdown to seal victory. He repeated the feat in their rematch a year later, stopping Ramirez in the sixth round. Since then, the 6’1” champion has notched three title defenses, all by stoppage, including a seventh-round knockout of Edward Vazquez on May 4 in Las Vegas.
Khegai (22-2-1, 13 KOs), originally from Odessa, Ukraine and now based in Los Angeles, enters his first major world title fight. He rebounded from a split decision loss to Joet Gonzalez earlier this year with a September victory over former champion Liborio Solis. Khegai has won seven of his last eight outings since dropping a title eliminator to Stephen Fulton in 2020.
The undercard is set to feature a high-stakes IBF junior welterweight title eliminator between Lindolfo Delgado and Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela, with the winner earning a mandatory shot at Richardson Hitchins. Rising star Emiliano Vargas (15-0, 13 KOs) and U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) are also scheduled to appear.
Broadcast details for the U.S. have not yet been finalized, as Top Rank continues to seek a new media deal following the expiration of its ESPN contract earlier this summer.
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