Rafael Espinoza isn’t the type to back off when he smells weakness. And on a loud night in San Luis Potosi, the lanky Mexican champion took apart Arnold Khegai bit by bit until the corner finally threw in the towel. No drama, no debate. Just a tall featherweight champion doing exactly what he does best.
By the time the bell ended the tenth, Khegai looked like a man who’d hit every rough patch the fight game can offer: cut eye, swollen face, legs fading. His corner stepped in, and the stoppage was marked at ten seconds of the eleventh. Honestly, no one groaned. Khegai hung tough, dipped low, winged overhands… but Espinoza didn’t budge. He just kept leaning in with those long uppercuts that felt like they came from a different postcode.
“My result was the victory I expected,” Espinoza said afterward. “I could’ve kept my distance all night, but I wanted to give a show.”
Classic champion stuff. He didn’t brag, didn’t bark — just calmly pointed out he’d become the first man to stop Khegai.
How Long Can Espinoza Stay This Sharp at Featherweight?
Espinoza’s now 28-0 with 24 knockouts, and he’s defended that WBO featherweight title four times — all stoppages. Proper momentum. And for a man who stands 6-foot-1 in a division full of shorter operators, he looks comfortable. Almost too comfortable.
He said he still feels good making the weight. Fair enough. But with his frame and his activity, you’d half expect him to start eyeballing the next division soon. Even he seemed open to it: “Before I make any decision, I want to see what offers are on the table.”
Translation: whoever pays, wins.
Vargas Shows Brains, Delgado Survives Scare, and Torrez Jr Smashes Through
Emiliano Vargas, the kid with all the hype and a surname that comes with expectations baked in, handled himself like a grown pro. He dropped Jonathan Montrel early and boxed smart the rest of the way to take a wide unanimous decision. Shame he couldn’t get the finish, but Montrel wasn’t just there to roll over.
Then you had Lindolfo Delgado scraping through by split decision over Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela. All cards 114-113, two for Delgado. Tight as anything. Delgado scored early, Valenzuela rallied, and the late knockdown had everyone thinking upset. Didn’t happen. Delgado stood firm and owned it: “This was not an easy fight… he shocked me with a knockdown, but I had a strong desire to get back in there.”
Heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr barely broke a sweat. He walked straight through Tomas Salek and left him bloodied with a right hook that ended things before it even got going. Blink and you missed it. Torrez is starting to look like a man who wants names — proper ones.
And then the kids rounded out the night:
Julian Montalvo flattened Nicolas Patron with ruthless body work in the first, while hometown lad Jorge Ascanio squeezed out a split decision to grab the NABO junior featherweight strap. Local crowd loved it.
Espinoza talking about seeing what offers are on the table just means he chasing money not legacy. Real champs fight anyone, not wait around for whoever got the biggest wallet 💰.
“Exactly! He acting like a businessman not a fighter now. If you good enough, go up in weight and prove it instead of sitting back counting cash.”
I think Vargas only wins cause of his dad’s name. He boxed good, yeah, but he had every chance handed to him on a silver plate. Let’s see him against someone tough for once.
Torrez Jr knocking people out too easy now. They gotta give him someone real to fight or this ain’t fun to watch no more. It’s like watching a grown man slap kids around 🥱.
Delgado shouldn’t have won that fight if we being honest. Valenzuela knocked him down and still lost? Judges need glasses or something cause that don’t make no sense at all.
That Khegai guy didn’t even fight back proper. His team should’ve stopped it sooner. Espinoza only won because the other guy looked like he was sleepwalking through half the match 😒.
People keep saying Espinoza should move up, but I think he just staying where he knows he got the size advantage. He too tall for featherweight and that’s why he keep winning.
I don’t get why people act like Espinoza is some kind of superman. He beat a guy who already looked tired after round five. That don’t make you great, just lucky the other dude gassed out.