WBO featherweight champion Rafael ‘Divino’ Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) will be defending against #9 Arnold Khegai (23-2-1, 14 KOs) on November 15, 2025, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Khegai Gets Surprise Title Shot
The broadcast platform hasn’t been revealed yet by Top Rank or Zanfer Boxing, who are working together to put on the event.
It’s a bit of a step down for Espinoza to face Khegai, 33, after recent defences against Edward Vazquez and Robeisy Ramirez. Those guys are younger and still have more left in the tank compared to Khegai, who hasn’t done much in years.
Why Top Fighters Avoid Espinoza
Espinoza, 6’1″, has scared away the top fighters in the 126-lb division with his string of impressive performances. It’s to the point where not even the champions like Nick Ball and Angelo Leo have shown any interest in fighting Espinoza.
Undercard fights
- Lindolfo Delgado vs. Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela – IBF Super Lightweight Title Eliminator
- Richard Torrez Jr. vs. TBA – heavyweights
- Emiliano Vargas vs. TBA – light welterweights
2020 heavyweight Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) faces a still-to-be-determined opponent. Torrez Jr. was reportedly offered a fight against Frank Sanchez in an IBF title eliminator to determine a mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s belt with that sanctioning body.
It will be interesting to see who Top Rank gets for Torrez Jr. to fight. Given that there’s no broadcast platform, they may not get too great of an opponent for him. They’re arguably scraping the bottom of the barrel in the main event by using the recently beaten Khegai as the challenger for Espinoza to defend against, rather than one of the notable young contenders.
Undercard: Delgado vs. Valenzuela
Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Knockout revealed the news on the Rafael Espinoza vs. Arnold Khegai on Tuesday. In what’s believed to be the chief support, #3 IBF Lindolfo Delgado (23-0, 16 KOs) battles #4 Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (31-4-1, 16 KOs) in a title eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger for IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins.
Michael Collins has been writing about boxing since 2016, covering championship fights, rising prospects, and the business side of the sport.