Rafael Espinoza vs Arnold Khegai Preview Nov. 15th, 2025
Unbeaten WBO Featherweight Champion Rafael Espinoza of Mexico slugs it out with Arnold Khegai of Ukraine this Saturday, November 15th. The 12-rounder from Mexico can be seen live in America the Top Rank Classics Fast channel while fans in Latin America can see it on ESPN Knockout. Espinoza was dropped in the fifth round in his first fight with Robeisy Ramirez in December, 2023 and then decked Ramirez in the final round to win the WBO Title via a majority decision. Espinoza stopped Sergio Chirino Sanchez in the fourth round in his first defence, halted Ramirez in the sixth stanza of their rematch last December and in his last outing in May he stopped Edward Vazquez in the seventh round. Khegai was last in the ring in September when he beat Liborio Solis via an eight-round unanimous decision.
Espinoza vs Khegai Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Arnold Khegai +1000
- Rafael Espinoza -2000
My Pick
The 31-year-old Espinoza enters the ring with a perfect mark of 27-0 with 23 Ko’s and has boxed 104 rounds since turning pro in 2013. He’s got plenty of power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 85.2 per cent and has stopped 10 of his past 11 opponents and 18 of his last 20. He’s gone the distance just four times in his pro career and has fought 10 rounds just once and 12 rounds just once. Espinoza is listed at 6-feet-1-inch tall by Boxrec with a 74-inch reach and if that’s true then he’s a bit of a freak of nature for the 126 lb division.
Espinoza took a huge step up in class against Robeisy Ramirez when he fought for the title but took a step down against the relatively unknown Sergio Chirino Sanchez in his first defence. In addition, his defence against Edward Vazquez and this clash with Khegai aren’t exactly elite showdowns either to be honest. Other than the wins over Ramirez, Espinoza’s biggest victories have been over the likes of Carlos Ornelas, Aramis Solis, Alie Laurel, Gerardo Munoz and Rafael Ramirez. Also, just 13 of his 27 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record. However, he proved against Ramirez both times that he is indeed a world-class boxer.
Khegai is 33 years old and boxes out of Los Angeles, California. He carries around a record of 23-2-1 with 14 Ko’s and has boxed 158 rounds since turning pro in 2015 following his amateur career, which saw him compete in the World Series of Boxing. He also competed in Muay Thai before turning pro. Khegai stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a wingspan of 66 inches which sees him give up eight inches in both height and reach to Espinoza. As far as power goes, Khegai has just enough of it to cause damage as 60.9 per cent of his wins have come by way of stoppage. He has gone the distance in his last two fights but stopped his three previous opponents.
The first defeat on Khegai’s record came at the hands of Stephen Fulton by a 12-round unanimous decision in 2020 in a shot at the WBO Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight Title. He also dropped a 10-round split decision to Joet Gonzalez in march of this year and his lone draw was an eight-round affair with Yerzhan Zalilov in 2016. Khegai boxed in Russia for the first few years of his pro career before relocating to America. He has a solid chin, but other than Fulton and Gonzalez he hasn’t really faced any top-10 contenders or champions. His best wins have come against Eduardo Baez, Ruben Tostado Garcia, Jorge Diaz, Adam Lopez and Vladimir Tikhonov.
Prediction…
Espinoza has the decided edge in power, reach and height size and should be able to keep Khegai at a safe distance when he chooses to do so. Espinoza constantly lets his hands go as he’s pretty good at swarming his opponents and no matter how good determined Khegai may be or how solid his chin is, I just don’t see how he’s going to get inside or keep Espinoza at bay for 12 rounds. I’m expecting Espinoza to eventually break Khegai down and retain his title and a second-half stoppage could be in store.
Espinoza is too big and powerful for Khegai.
Play Espinoza -2000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Arnold Khegai betting • Rafael Espinoza betting