Bruce Carrington’s long-discussed showdown with WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza has yet to materialize despite both fighters competing under the Top Rank banner.
The newly crowned WBC champion, who will make the first defense of his title against unbeaten contender Rene Palacio (19-0-1, 10 KOs) on July 4 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, offered his thoughts on why the fight has not been made.
“I think Espinosa might be a little more strategic on when he wants to fight me with others,” Carrington said to Ring Magazine when discussing a potential meeting with Rafael Espinoza. “I think that his team and maybe even Top Rank are kind of setting us up to fight each other last, like to have like a big crescendo type of thing. You know what I’m saying? So, I’m not mad at that. Business-wise, it actually sounds good.”
Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs) stopped Mateus Heita in the ninth round on June 8 at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York to capture the vacant WBC featherweight title. While Espinoza has emerged as one of the division’s marquee names, Carrington believes IBF champion Angelo Leo and WBA titleholder Brandon Figueroa may be more willing to pursue a unification bout.
“I think that Angelo Leo and Figueroa, they’re the two most inclined fighters to fight me for sure,” Carrington said.
Espinoza (28-0, 24 KOs) has held the WBO featherweight title since defeating Robeisy Ramirez in December 2023. A future meeting between Carrington and Espinoza would match two unbeaten champions in what many regard as one of the biggest fights available in the featherweight division.
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Last Updated on 2026/06/10 at 1:44 PM
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