Mexican WBO featherweight world champion Rafael Espinoza is prepared to defend his home turf once again as he returns to the ring in front of an eager local crowd Saturday night in the Zanfer Boxing/Top Rank Boxing main event.

The towering Guadalajara native—standing an extraordinary 6-foot-1 and recognized as the tallest featherweight world champion in the sport’s history—will put his WBO belt on the line at Arena Potosi in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. His challenger is seasoned Ukrainian contender Arnold Khegai, who arrives determined to seize the biggest opportunity of his career.

Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) claimed the featherweight crown in December 2023 after earning an upset majority decision victory over two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez. He has remained a dominant presence in the division ever since, racking up three successful title defenses. His most notable recent triumph came in their highly anticipated December 2024 rematch, where he stopped Ramirez with a decisive sixth-round TKO. Now, Espinoza looks to extend his undefeated streak while strengthening his case as one of Mexico’s most imposing champions.

He said at Thursday's final presser,

"I’m pleased to be fighting again in Mexico and coming back here as a world champion." "I know what it’s like to fight for a world title. When you fight for a world title, you come with everything and more. So, I know he’s going to come with everything. I expect that from him, and I trained for that."

Meanwhile, Khegai (23-2-1, 14 KOs), a former Ukrainian national amateur champion and two-time Muay Thai world champion, has revitalized his career since moving up to featherweight. He has won seven of his last eight bouts, including a solid eight-round decision this past September over former world champion Liborio Solis. Confident, experienced, and unfazed by hostile territory, Khegai enters Saturday’s showdown aiming to deliver the defining performance he has long sought. However, he's clearly in with a fighter at least one level, if not two, up from what he's been fighting.

Khegai said,

"I’m very happy because this is the biggest fight of my career so far. I’ve been waiting forever for this kind of fight, and Saturday will be a defining moment in my career." "The fact that I’m in Mexico doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter that I’m in enemy territory. There will only be two fighters in the ring."

As for the evening’s co-feature, it adds even more heat, as unbeaten Mexican Olympian Lindolfo Delgado (23-0, 16 KOs) faces fellow countryman Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (31-4-1, 17 KOs) in an IBF junior welterweight world title eliminator. Add to it, heavyweight rising star and former U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs), taking on the rugged Czech veteran Tomas Salek (23-7, 14 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout. And, also, highly touted junior welterweight prospect Emiliano Vargas (15-0, 13 KOs) meets Jonathan Montrel (19-3, 13 KOs) in a featured 10-round contest set to unfold just before the main event.

Promoted by Top Rank and Zanfer Boxing, the full card—including Espinoza-Khegai, Delgado-Valenzuela, Torrez-Salek, and Vargas-Montrel—will stream live on the Top Rank Classics FAST channel beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Fans can also catch a full replay on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Viewers watching on mobile or desktop can tune in via trboxing.co/TopRankClassics, while smart TV users can find the channel on platforms such as The Roku Channel, Tubi, and Vizio.