“A Ukrainian can become a champion”, — write: sport.ua
Hegai got a chance that he wanted for a long time. Although most fans do not believe in his victory this time, because the champion is too strong.
Hegai only recently lost, but he is already entering the title fight. Arnold was lucky in some ways
Arnold Hegai is not in the best situation in his career. In 2020, he met the American fighter Stephen Fulton. The Ukrainian lost to him, no matter how hard he tried to get to a comfortable distance and attack face-on.
In general, that defeat was read. Fulton is a counter-attacking boxer who is difficult to hit. Even in the confrontation against Naoya Inoue, which happened to him later, Stephen was not an unequivocal underdog due to skill. And Hegai is not Inoue at all. He is comfortable in his style for the opponent.
After that, Arnold did not lose. During this time, he defeated six opponents and entered the pre-championship match. But he lost again. There was also a meeting with Fulton not for a full-fledged belt, but for the intercontinental title.
This time the Ukrainian lost to Joet Gonzalez. A pretty good boxer who had previously faced Luis Alberto Lopez, Isaac Dogboe, Emmanuel Navarrete and Miguel Mariaga. Hegai lost to him by split decision.
After that, he came back – defeated Liborio Solis in 8 rounds – and now he is going for the title. It turns out that Arnold has not had any special victories lately. However, everything turned out to be quite profitable for him.
Rafael Espinoza was originally scheduled to box against former world champion Luis Alberto Lopez. Why the match was canceled is unclear. However, the boxers will not enter the ring on November 15. And instead of Lopez, Arnold Hegai prepared for the fight.
Unfortunately, the opponent came out too high. Taller by 20 centimeters, with arms longer by the same 20 centimeters. And also – with a heavy blow.
In general, Espinosa is an extremely unsuccessful opponent in this regard. He won the belt by defeating 2-time Olympic champion Robeisi Ramirez.
Then he beat the applicant prematurely. In the future, he organized a rematch against Ramirez – beat him too early.
And this is only what concerns the last confrontations. Before that, Espinosa boxed for a long time in Mexico and gained experience. Do not scare him with exchanges – even with such dimensions, Raphael exchanges kindly. You cannot work with him from a distance – he is too tall and too long-armed. It looks like a dead end.
And this is how they treat Hegai now. Yes, as if he has no chance of winning.
Of course, Arnold is far from the favorite. However, Espinosa is not a sinless boxer. This is not Floyd Mayweather or some Oleksandr Usyk. Yes, strong and overall. However, the Ukrainian is not an invincible opponent.
Who is the favorite?
Bookmakers are unequivocal in their choice. You can bet on the victory of the Mexican champion Rafael Espinosa with a coefficient of 1.03. For the victory of the Ukrainian contender for the belt Arnold Hegai – more, as many as 10.
Is such a difference in status justified? Most likely, yes. Espinosa had two big fights in his career – both against Robeysi Ramirez. The first time he won back, taking the belt. The second time he simply knocked out his opponent. Hegai also had two such confrontations – he lost both times. Fulton and Gonzalez. The second is quite recently.
It is difficult to find arguments in favor of Hegai in such a duel. But you can.
Rafael Espinoza is an offensive boxer. He could keep the opponent on the jab, but he does the most damage at close range.
What does a small boxer need against a much larger opponent? Mere penetration at close range.
Now let’s imagine that Espinosa still wanted to spend a lot of time at close range. Where is the guarantee that Raphael will not fly in such exchanges? Hegai is a strong boxer who has repeatedly proven that he can deliver heavy blows. It is not as fast and skillful as in the case of Robeysi Ramirez. However, it did not help.
What Hegai needs to do is to defend himself. A lot and actively. Overlap, block shots and go away from them. And then, at the moment, contract the combination, starting from the body.
It is in such actions that you can look for a way to victory. Such actions give a chance not to be beaten by a Mexican.
However, this is all our imagination. If you look at the exceptional facts, the champion is a big favorite, and it is true. But the truth is that in case of victory, Hegai will become the author of one of the biggest upsets of this year. Because the opponent is too big and strong. And Arnold will never grow taller.
So what, a pointless confrontation? Not quite. Hegai won the title fight, as he wanted. Got a chance, just like the oxen. He can light up, giving Espinoza a great fight. And he has a chance to shine if he beats the champion.
Arnold is not the first number in the rating, but he is the first who agreed to fight against a difficult opponent. In case of a confident performance, the Ukrainian will only pick up his check for further confrontations.
The first task is not to join the ranks of Espinosa’s previous opponents who were knocked out. Task number two is to find a way to counterattack and work out the body. Maybe you’ll get lucky there.