Rafael Espinoza scored what will undoubtedly be an Upset of the Year candidate, trading knockdowns with Robeisy Ramirez and outworking the heavily favored Cuban southpaw over 12 heated rounds to earn a majority decision over the defending featherweight titleholder on Saturday in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Espinoza (22-0, 18 KOs), an unheralded challenger from Guadalajara, Mexico, won by scores of 115-111, 114-112 and 113-113 and now holds the WBO belt. Ramirez (13-2, 8 KOs), a celebrated two-time Olympic gold medalist, landed the harder single shots during the entertaining fight, but he was soundly outhustled by the towering Mexican fighter, who threw close to 1,000 punches during the 12 rounds and landed 222 (179 of which were power punches) to the odds favorite’s 119. Ramirez, who had hoped to be in the Naoya Inoue sweepstakes if and when the Japanese star rises to the 126-pound division, entered the ESPN-televised bout at The Ring’s No. 4-rated featherweight.

Espinoza had not faced anyone of note coming into the Top Rank promotion and was not ranked by The Ring, but the 6-foot-1 boxer-brawler proved he was a worthy challenger by arguably sweeping the first four rounds of the bout. Espinoza did so with his aggression and activity, but he also exhibited sound technique and the ability to box effectively from different ranges.

However, Ramirez, a special talent with immeasurable amateur experience, turned the fight in Round 5, scoring a hard knockdown with a leaping right hook just seconds before the bell. But Espinoza remained game and aggressive, occasionally switch-hitting against the energized crowd favorite, despite the cobwebs in his head. Ramirez teed off on Espinoza with haymaker hooks and looping left crosses during the final minutes of Rounds 6, 7 and 8.

However, Espinoza would get backed up and buzzed, but would instinctively bull his way forward each time after being rocked. The tall and gangly technician rallied at the end of Round 9 and carried that momentum into Round 10, which he seized by throwing 102 punches as his applied smart pressure.

Ramirez fired back in Round 11 and both had their moments, but the final round belonged to “El Divino,” who somehow summoned the energy to throw 121 punches, landing 48 (45 of which were power shots, according to CompuBox). Espinoza scored a knockdown with sheer volume punching and pressure, producing the most dramatic moment of the thrilling 12-rounder.

Ramirez was gracious in defeat, although he thought he deserved the close nod, and hoped to take on Espinoza in a rematch. Fans would tune into that one, as they would Espinoza vs. the veteran likes of countrymen Luis Alberto Lopez (the IBF titleholder), Rey Vargas (the WBC beltholder) and Mauricio Lara.

The featherweight division has a new player.

On the Ramirez-Espinoza undercard, two blue-chip up-and-comers made their case for Prospect of the Year.

Junior middleweight Xander Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) outclassed Jorge Fortea (24-4-1, 9 KOs) en route to a fifth-round stoppage. The 21-year-old Puerto Rican, now based in Florida, dropped Fortea with lefts to the body in Rounds 1 and 5. Zayas, who fought for the third time in 2023, set the pace and outworked Fortea from the opening bell, backing the Spanish veteran up with a busy jab and punishing him with body-head combinations, getting the better of every exchange. He is scheduled to return on the February 16 O’Shaquie Foster-Abraham Nova undercard at Madison Square Garden Theater.

Featherweight Bruce Carrington (10-0, 6 KOs) needed only two rounds to dispatch former title challenger Jason Sanchez (16-5, 9 KOs). It was the fifth bout of 2023 for the 26-year-old Brooklyn native.

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