Bruce Carrington says he’s willing to fight WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza next. ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs) believes Espinoza came to his fight against Mateus Heita last Saturday night to get attention and to “size” him up for a fight. He’s willing to face him next.
Bruce looked afraid throughout his fight against Heita. He was being stalked and hit hard all night by the powerful Namibian fighter. What was surprising was how much stronger Heita was than he was.
Going into the fight, Carrington had a reputation for having a lot of power, but it was Heita who had a big edge in that area. That’s one of the reasons why Carrington ran from him all night. He was uncomfortable getting hit by him.
Carrington won the WBC interim featherweight title by beating Heita (14-1, 9 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision by the scores 119-109, 119-109, and 120-108 at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
Espinoza’s Strategic Appearance
“He came to my fight. I feel like you ain’t just coming there just to watch. You’re coming there for attention. Yeah,” said Bruce Carrington to the Ring Magazine channel, talking about WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza showing up at his fight against Mateus Heita last Saturday night at Madison Square Garden Theater.
Top Rank had to have invited Espinoza to the fight because he wouldn’t have come on his own if he hadn’t been asked. Could it be that Top Rank wants Rafael as a backup plan in case Carrington can’t get the title shot against WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton?
They promote Espinoza as well, and he’s got more potential to become a star than Carrington. He’s a better fighter, with more power and talent. Top Rank can make Espinoza into a bigger name if they feed Carrington to him. It’s a smart move because it doesn’t look like Carrington has the power needed to capture a belt.
“He’s sizing me up, coming to get some attention. So, I’m going to give you the attention that you’re looking for. I really want to fight all these champions. It really don’t matter to me who comes first,” said Carrington about Espinoza. “But I really crave action. I just love to fight.”
Espinoza: Dangerous Opponent
With the look of fear in Carrington’s eyes throughout his fight against Mateus Heita last Saturday, he won’t want to be in the ring with an even more dangerous guy like Espinoza. All the moving that Bruce did against Heita showed how fearful he is when fighting punchers. Espinoza would be like Heita x 2. He would be relentless in stalking Carrington around the ring.
“So, if he’s coming here to watch me fight, I’m assuming he’s interested in fighting me. So, let’s make it happen,” said Carrington about Rafael Espinoza. “All this playing around and waiting. You have a fight [date] scheduled for September, and you don’t have an opponent yet. Let’s make it happen. Let’s do this.”
It would be admirable if Carrington did show some backbone and take the fight with Espinoza in September. That’s not realistic because Espinoza would finish what Mateus Heita and Sulaiman Segawa started against him.
Carrington’s Bluff Examined
Carrington sounds like he’s bluffing. He wouldn’t fight Espinoza after capturing the WBC interim title. ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington’s promoters at Top Rank are angling him towards WBC champion Stephen Fulton because he can’t punch and there’s less risk. Carrington didn’t fight for the interim belt for nothing.
“If not him, Stephen Fulton. Let’s make it happen. Interim [WBC featherweight] title. I’ve got the interim title. We can make it happen. You’ve got the regular belt. Let’s get it going,” said Carrington.
Obviously, WBC 126-lb champion Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) is the actual target for Carrington. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have gone in the direction of getting ranked with the WBC and fighting for their interim title.
Carrington could have gone after the WBO belt held by Espinoza. The fact that he didn’t tells you all you need to know. Carrington didn’t want to tangle with the 6’1″ Espinoza, because he’s too dangerous. He would wreck his career like he did with Robeisy Ramirez.
