Rafael Espinoza Scored the 2023 TSS Upset(s) of the Year

Defending WBO featherweight champion Robeisy Ramirez was a 15/1 favorite when he met little-known Rafael Espinoza on Dec. 9 in the main go of a Top Rank card in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The odds lengthened after the fifth round and, when the smoke cleared, Espinoza had accomplished a rare feat – scoring two upsets, as it were, in the same fight.

Espinoza was 23-0 with 20 KOs heading in, but all but one of those wins were forged against no-name opponents in Mexico, a red flag for anyone contemplating a bet. (His lone win outside Mexico came in a four-rounder on a low-budget card in Hollywood, California back in 2015.) In Robeisy Ramirez, Espinoza was facing a two-time Olympic gold medal winner who was in excellent form, having won 13 straight after stumbling in his pro debut and would be making the second defense of the title he had won with a wide decision over Isaac Dogboe. Fighting in the Miami area, home to thousands of other transplanted Cubans, Ramirez would have the crowd in his corner.

The lanky Espinoza, who at six-foot-one had a seven-inch height advantage, exuded confidence as he awaited the opening bell and was plainly ahead after four rounds with his superior workrate. Then disaster struck.

Late in round five, Ramirez put him down hard with a brutal right hook. The Mexican made it to his feet, but was in dire straits. Luckily for him, there were only a few seconds left in the round. As boxing writer John Hansen noted, had the punch come 15 seconds sooner, it would have ended the fight. As Espinoza wobbled back to his corner, saved by the bell, it seemed that the end was imminent.

From reports of antiquarian prizefights, we know that in olden days there was a considerable amount of betting going on between rounds. The practice faded away as bookmakers became less conspicuous at ringside and so-called “in-game” wagers on boxing were never offered in Nevada when the Silver State had a monopoly on legal sports betting. The landmark 2018 Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to legal sports wagering outside Nevada was a game-changer. In the scrum for market share, online sportsbooks embraced in-game wagering and promoted it heavily.

After the fifth round, TV screens flashed the updated odds from Draft Kings, the official sponsor of Top Rank on ESPN. Rafael Espinoza was now a bigger underdog than he had been at the start of the contest.

As the fight progressed, Robeisy Ramirez pulled even on the cards and then pulled ahead. But Espinoza had an engine that wouldn’t quit and Ramirez lost his momentum. According to CompuBox, Espinoza out-landed Ramirez 103-33 over the final three rounds.

In the final round, Espinoza threw the kitchen sink at Ramirez who turned his back on Espinoza and took a knee to regain his bearings. That proved to be the difference. In the end, Espinoza won the see-saw battle via a majority decision (115-111, 114-112, 113-113).

It was a gritty effort by the outsider from Guadalajara who was credited with throwing nearly 1,000 punches. Overcome with emotion when the scores were read, Espinoza earned every penny of what he was paid plus the satisfaction of winning a world title. And anyone who took a flyer on the underdog, fading the hefty odds, profited handsomely.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty images.

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