Espinoza’s Unbeaten Run to Continue: Faces Chirino
Espinoza vs Chirino Boxing Odds
Rafael Espinoza is 24-0 and looking to improve his record against 22-1 Sergio Chirino in Las Vegas on Friday.
The Mexican is the -800 favorite with Espinoza vs Chirino boxing odds, which is expected as the WBO Featherweight champion.
The belt is on the line, and Chirino is a +500 underdog to score an upset.
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Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!Espinoza Handled the Rise in Class
The 30-year-old faced a massive rise in class when winning the WBO belt, scoring a big upset win over Robeisy Ramirez.
He won by majority decision to win the title, which was his first big fight throughout his career.
It didn’t come without some scary moments. He was knocked down in the fifth round, but he dropped Ramirez in the 12th and final round, which likely clinched the victory for the judges.
Espinoza has yet to suffer a defeat from 24 fights, and he owns 20 wins by knockout, so the record speaks for itself.
Most of those wins came against much easier opposite, but having a win over Ramirez is the best form guide for this fight.
Bigger upcoming boxing matches are on the horizon for Espinoza, but he can’t rest on his laurels. Defending the title is often harder than winning it, so the -800 favorite with Espinoza vs Chirino boxing odds can’t take it easy.
It’s good to see he’s aware of the situation, according to the latest boxing news.
“Yes, I am conscious of that and I do take it with a lot of responsibility,” Espinoza said. “I still try to think of myself as the challenger because I really want to keep that belt.
“I think he’s going to come to win the title, like all who come to challenge for a world title. That’s a dream of all boxers, but I’m going to do everything possible to win.”
He’s the deserving favorite, and he has the class edge over Chirino..
Chirino Trying to Emulate Espinoza
The 29-year-old is hoping to emulate Espinoza, but boxing odds aren’t giving him much chance.
He has yet to face anyone of note, but that was the same situation for Espinoza before he won the title in a big upset.
His toughest fight came earlier in his career when losing to Mauricio Lara, and he was faced much easier opponents since then.
He was knocked out by a much better Lara, who is a quality boxer, and having that loss on his record won’t do him any good.
If he went the distance against Lara, that would have been a positive. However, he didn’t answer the bell in the third round, so that’s not a good look.
Espinoza is giving him some praise, but believes Chirino doesn’t have the skills to beat him.
“I have seen him, I have seen videos of him that are on the Internet. He had an amateur career but that’s not something that is going to surprise me or faze me because I’ve defeated a two-time Olympic gold medalist.” Espinoza said.
Chirino has a chance of pulling off an upset if he goes on the offensive. He’s unlikely to win the fight if he’s scared to get close to Espinoza, who has the power advantage.
He will need to risk losing to win, so he needs to make the most of the situation, just as Espinoza did against Ramirez.
Locking in Espinoza to Retain Belt
We don’t see any other outcome than Espinoza winning, so we’re taking the -800 odds and including it in our boxing parlays.
The featherweight title holder has the class edge over Chirino, and having had a big fight under his belt makes him even harder to beat.
Having 20 wins by knockout on his record is tough to overlook, and bettors should also entertain Espinoza by knockout with Espinoza vs Chirino boxing odds.
He has the clear power advantage, and although he’ll be happy to win by decision, he wants to make a statement.
There is a possible fight against Naoya Inoue on the line, which would bring him in a big pay day.
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