Two Mexican warriors are set to author another chapter in their country's historic saga of championship battles. Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza (24-0, 20 KOs) will make the first defense of his WBO featherweight title against Sergio Chirino (22-1, 13 KOs) this Friday, June 21st at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions, tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com. Espinoza spent over a decade in the paid ranks before getting his shot at a world title. Last December, he prevailed in a Fight of the Year contender against then-WBO king Robeisy Ramirez. Espinoza took an early lead, was dropped in the fifth, and rebounded to knock down the Cuban two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 12th round. Espinoza emerged with a majority decision victory, becoming the 30th Mexican featherweight champion and the 20th from his home state of Jalisco.
This is what the fighters had to say at Wednesday's press conference.
Rafael Espinoza
"I'm excited, and I'm happy. My heart is jumping because this is another dream come true. This is another reason why I started boxing, and now, it's happening, thank God. I'm very happy to be here with all my people, and I'm excited and waiting for the day to come."
"The only thing that changed about my life is that now people call me a champion. I have also learned a lot. I have learned to enjoy the moment and to work as a champion. With me and my family, it has all been the same. They are with me, and that's what is important."
"Every time anyone has an opportunity like this, they come to win, and we're conscious of that. And that's why we worked hard. I've done all the work, and I do my talking in the ring. I don't like to talk outside of the ring. So, the best man will win. The champion will win."
Sergio Chirino
"We are happy because the opportunity for a world title is here. And we're excited because, like any boxer, we want to achieve this dream. We're here, and we're going for it Friday night."
"When there are two Mexicans in the ring, it is always a great show. And in this fight, there will be a surprise."
"We came here to tell the same story Rafael did when he {won the world title}. So, we're going to win that world title and be the first to do it from Oaxaca."
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ADDITIONAL BOUTS
In the ten-round junior lightweight co-feature, Andres “Savage” Cortes (21-0, 12 KOs) and Abraham “El Super” Nova (23-2, 16 KOs) will collide in a high-stakes battle presented in association with Murphys Boxing and 12 Rounds Promotion.... In a ten-round special attraction, unbeaten middleweights Troy Isley (12-0, 5 KOs) and Javier Martinez (10-0-1, 3 KOs) will reignite a fierce amateur rivalry... Espinoza-Chirino, Cortes-Nova, and Isley-Martinez headline a stacked card streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ and Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.
