Manny Robles is hoping there will be a little less drama when his fighter, Rafael Espinoza, makes the first defense of his WBO featherweight title against Sergio Chirino Sanchez on Friday in Las Vegas.
Last December, Mexico’s Espinoza (24-0, 20 KOs) pulled off one of the biggest shocks of 2023, taking the title from Robbiesy Ramirez.
The 6-foot-1 Espinoza used his reach and power to keep Ramirez in check for the first four rounds before going down hard in the fifth, showing true grit and poise to withstand the pain of an injured ankle and the talented Cuban's onslaught throughout the bout.
Amid the chaos, Robles' corner was able to find the right words to motivate his fighter in the championship rounds, and the 30-year-old Espinoza scored a decisive knockdown in the final round to win by majority decision and claim his first world title.
It was a thrilling spectacle and a star-making performance, but Robles, who proved his passion to win the belt by jumping into the well, would like to see Espinoza defend it in a more conventional manner.
“What we saw in the first five rounds against Robbie, I think you'll see in the Sanchez fight too, when he got dropped and sprained his ankle, we had to change the plan in that fight,” Robles said. “Speaking of exposing somebody's weaknesses, I had to expose Rafa's weaknesses to win the world title. You have to be able to adapt and change depending on the situation and take him to the next level.”
“It's about the connection, the chemistry with the fighter. If the fighter believes in you and trusts you, you can achieve great things. You have to get the fighter to believe in you and believe what you're saying.”
A string of new faces and exciting bouts have given the featherweight division a major boost.
Espinoza proved himself truly dangerous with his win over Ramirez, while Ray Ford showed enough talent and mental fortitude to stop Otabek Kormatov and win the WBA belt, only to lose it to the exciting and aggressive Nick Ball.
Robles has been especially impressed with Ball's in-form performance. In the six months prior to beating Ford to win his first world title, the 27-year-old from Liverpool, England, dominated Isaac Dogboe over 12 rounds and beat Rey Vargas, looking to intimidate the longtime WBC champion before being unlucky to have to settle for a draw.
“It's incredible. He's made for boxing. Congratulations,” Robles said. “I love to see fighters like this, the underdogs like Rafael Espinosa who come out to prove people wrong and shock the world. He's known it all along. He's known for his greatness. He just needs people to believe in him. As long as a fighter believes in himself and his team believes in him, a fighter can be unstoppable. He's proven that so many times, so congratulations.”
A matchup between the tall, hard-hitting Espinoza and the relentless attacking tank Balls would be a true clash of styles, and Robles would certainly be interested if the fight were to happen. For now, he has more pressing business to attend to in a matchup with Sanchez (22-1, 13 KOs).
“Yeah, why not,” Robles said with a laugh. “It's going to be a good game. First of all, we've got to do what we have to do on Friday night. If we can get through Friday, we'll see what the future holds.”
