Rafael Espinoza vs. Robeisy Ramirez 2: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Rafael Espinoza and Robeisy Ramirez meet for the second time on Saturday night with the WBO featherweight title on the line.

It will be almost a year to the day since these two last met in a fascinating encounter.

Ramirez was the WBO title holder and appeared on course to keep hold of his belt after sending Espinoza to the canvas in the fifth round, but he was knocked down himself in the 12th and ultimately that proved costly in a majority decision defeat. 

The fight serves as the chief support for another rematch, as Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez face off for the WBO junior lightweight crown in the card's main event.

Rafael Espinoza vs. Robeisy Ramirez 2 betting picks and predictions

Robeisy Ramirez to win (-125)

Espinoza’s win in the first fight was a huge upset but the two fighters go in almost level for the rematch and, with Ramirez entering as only a marginal favorite, it looks worth siding with him here.

The Cuban came within seconds of a stoppage in the fifth round last December but the bell saved Espinoza, and allowed him a chance to recover.

From that point on El Divino grew into the fight and his incredible workrate, and a late knockdown of his own proved to be enough to convince the judges he had done enough to take Ramirez’s WBO crown.

Ramirez is a quality operator who is a two-time Olympic champion in two weight classes, and the slick southpaw should be able to make the necessary adjustments to get a victory over the line in this rematch.

Espinoza threw nearly three times as many punches as Ramirez in the first bout (995 punches to 376) but the Cuban was far more clinical and polished.

The Mexican produced a career-defining display to land the title but Ramirez perhaps had an off-night by his own standards and he should have enough class to win this rematch and reclaim the title. 

Robeisy Ramirez most power punches landed (+150)

Espinoza has an exceptional engine and will almost certainly throw more punches, but Ramirez is more accurate and could be the fighter who connects with the better shots.

In the first meeting, Espinoza did his best work in the second half of the fight and will know his route to another win will be to try and be more active than the challenger after those tactics paid off last time.

However, Ramirez should be a little more focused after being on the wrong end of an upset.

The two-time Olympic champion picked up a decent win over Brandon Leon Benitez via seventh round TKO in his last bout. Ramirez knows he can hurt Espinoza with his power and accuracy, so he may well land the most power punches even if Espinoza throws more shots.

Robeisy Ramirez to win by KO, TKO or DQ (+333)

Espinoza has a perfect 25-0 record but he has only had a couple of fights at world level. The Guadalajara native did record a solid fourth round TKO win over Sergio Chirino Sanchez in his last outing but Sanchez is still a few levels below Ramirez. 

In the first half of the last meeting it looked as if Ramirez was working his way towards a comfortable win, potentially via stoppage, until Espinoza’s impressive comeback.

In many ways it is harder for the champion in terms of tactics here because he knows if he tries to outbox Ramirez he’ll probably come out second best, while if he relies on outworking the Cuban from the first bell he runs the risk of running out of steam. 

If Ramirez is patient and gets his own gameplan right he should be able to engineer a couple of big openings, and after letting a win slip away last time he can be a bit more ruthless in the rematch and secure the stoppage he failed to deliver last time out.

Read all you need to know about Rafael Espinoza vs. Robeisy Ramirez 2 on site.

Rafael Espinoza vs. Robeisy Ramirez 2 odds

	Rafael Espinoza	Robeisy Ramirez
Money Line	-105	-125
By KO, TKO, DQ	+300	+300
By Decision or Technical Decision	+275	+2100

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.