It was a majority decision: they tied at 113, and then the two remaining judges’ cards also favored the Mexican 114-112.
The company Top Rank, promoter of the event, has signed a clause in the contract for the rematch.
The result was fair. Many said that it was a tremendous setback, but that is not entirely true. Espinoza arrived with a record of 18 KOs and now raised his undefeated record to 22 fights.
Robeisy, for his part, suffered his second defeat as a professional and now sports a record 13-2, 8 KOs.
The Cuban was so disappointed that after the fight he ran off towards the dressing room. It surely hurt him a lot to have lost in front of his audience, in his first presentation in the Miami area.
The Mexican, on the other hand, ended with tears in his eyes.
“This is what I wanted,” he said alongside a handful of compatriots. “Everything happened to me, first they delayed giving me the visa to enter the United States, then I missed two flights and I only arrived over the line on Wednesday in Miami. I couldn’t miss this opportunity that I had sought so much to get here.”
Espinoza announced that on Sunday he will travel to his homeland, La Palma de Michoacán, to thank the “Divine Face,” who is the saint of his people.
At 29 years old, Saturday’s fight was his first fight for a world title. And he was willing to give up his life. After the victory he limped out of the ring.
“In the second round I felt like I broke my foot,” Espinoza said. “But I decided to keep going and going.”
That determination of the Mexican, and Robeisy’s attitude to satisfy his audience who did not stop shouting “Cuba, Cuba, Cuba” throughout the entire fight were key to seeing a high-caliber clash, without respite, in which two gladiators had the conviction to fight until the last moment to achieve their goal.
Of the around 3,000 people who filled the arena, almost 60 percent were Cuban and the rest from Puerto Rico, Mexico and fans from different countries who love boxing.
It was an electrifying fight and will surely be chosen as one of the best of the year.
It wasn’t just a bell-to-bell fight. For several rounds, Robeisy and Espinoza continued to hit each other even after the bell had rung.
From the start it was an all-out combat, and the strategy was more or less what was expected. The Cuban tried to take the initiative and the Mexican marked the distance with his jab.
Robeisy was careful at the top, because that was where the Mexican directed his attacks due to his greater height. It was more difficult for him to punish from below, and the Cuban would crouch down to take advantage of the slightest carelessness of his rival and throw the left or right.
The first three rounds were dominated by Espinoza, but in the fourth round Robeisy found a way to balance the fight and regain ground.
In the fifth round, with a left hand, Robeisy knocked Espinoza to the canvas. The Mexican stopped and immediately grabbed the ropes to avoid falling and it seemed that he was groggy. After the referee’s count, the Cuban returned to the attack to end the fight and at that moment the bell saved the Mexican.)
The sixth round was terrible. The exchange of blows was deadly. At one point Robeisy slipped, but got up immediately, there was no referee count and he continued hitting.
The process continued with great intensity, but the 12th and final round was decisive in the result. There Espinoza hit Robeisy hard, who fell to the canvas. The referee counted him eight seconds and the Cuban said that he would continue fighting. He immediately grabbed onto his opponent and survived on his feet until the final ringing of the bell. But the referees were left with the impression of that last moment and were inclined to give the crown to “El Divino”.
In the co-feature fight, Xander Zayas knocked out Spanish Jorge Forte in the fifth round after having taken the initiative during the fight agreed to last 10 rounds in the junior middleweights.
The Puerto Rican defined the fight with a combination of blows and punished from below, without his rival being able to cover himself. Zayas had already sent Forte to the canvas with an uppercut to the liver in the first round and when he finished the count he rang the bell.
Other results
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington knocked out Jason Sánchez in the second round, in a 10-round fight.
Richard “Silver” Torrez Jr. stopped Curtis Harper, in the heavyweights, in the eighth and final round.
Argentine Francisco Daniel Verón tied with Jahi Tucker in the junior middleweights, in eight rounds
Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco knocked out Keith Hunter in the sixth round, in the junior welterweight division in a fight scheduled for 8 rounds.
Ahead, “Tiger” Johnson won by unanimous decision over Jimmer Espinosa, in the junior welterweights in an 8-round fight).
Damian Knyba beat Michael Coffie by unanimous decision in 8 rounds, in the heavyweights.
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington knocked out Jason Sánchez in the second round, in a 10-round fight.
Richard “Silver” Torrez Jr. stopped Curtis Harper, in the heavyweights, in the eighth and final round.
Argentine Francisco Daniel Verón tied with Jahi Tucker in the junior middleweights, in eight rounds.
Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco knocked out Keith Hunter in the sixth round, in the junior welterweight division in a fight scheduled for 8 rounds.
Ahead, “Tiger” Johnson won by unanimous decision over Jimmer Espinosa, in the junior welterweights in an 8-round fight).
Damian Knyba beat Michael Coffie by unanimous decision in 8 rounds, in the heavyweights.
