Bruce Carrington Explains Why Rafael Espinoza Fight Has Not Happened

The WBC featherweight champion believes Top Rank may be saving a showdown with Espinoza for a bigger stage

Bruce Carrington believes the reason he has not fought Rafael Espinoza yet may have more to do with timing than reluctance. The newly crowned WBC featherweight champion says Top Rank could be holding the fight back in hopes of building it into a bigger championship attraction.

“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.