Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez: Full video highlights

Rafael Espinoza made his return to the squared circle in the co-main event of Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas boxing contest on May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Espinoza put his WBO featherweight title on the line against Edward Vazquez and was aiming to extend his undefeated record to 27-0 with a potential win.

Out of Espinoza's 26 wins, 22 came via knockouts. The 31-year-old was coming off a sixth-round knockout victory over Robeisy Ramirez in a rematch last year. Notably, he dethroned Ramirez via majority decision in their first encounter in 2023 and won featherweight title.

Meanwhile, Vazquez holds a professional record of 17 wins (4 KOs) and two losses. The American entered the title fight with a two fight win streak and in his last recent boxing outing last year, he secured a fourth-round TKO win over Kenneth Taylor.

Despite some early success, Vazquez couldn't inflict any significant damage on Espinoza, who dispalyed his dominance from the start. The Mexican landed sharp jabs throughout the contest and came close to securing a finish in the fourth round via his devastating strikes.

Ultimately, the referee in charge was forced to intervene at 1:47 mark of the seventh round after Espinoza punished Vazquez with an all-out attack, declaring him winner via TKO.

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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