Rafael Espinoza landed one of last year’s biggest upsets when he unseated Robeisy Ramirez for the WBO featherweight title.

Espinoza was dropped in the fifth and returned the favor in the 12th to score to score the majority decision win.

Now, Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) and Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) will battle it out once again in a rematch on December 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

“I know it will be a war,” said Espinoza. “And it’ll help that I can fight against any version of Ramirez. I'll be ready whether he wants to fight at a close range or from a distance. Like I said before the first fight, I’m not leaving without the title.

“I’m preparing for the best version of Ramirez because I know that’s who I’ll face on fight night. And that’s exactly what I want. I want him at his best so there won’t be doubts or excuses when I win.”

“El Divino” Espinoza, a 30-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, was a largely unknown contender until his clash against Ramirez, a two-time Cuban Olympics gold medalist who was trying to defend his title for a second time.

The 6 foot 1 inch Espinoza was fighting for just the third time in the United States at the time against Ramirez, and he has since leveraged the career-best win to headline an event for Top Rank in June, dropping Sergio Chirino Sanchez three times in a fourth-round TKO win.

“My confidence has grown,” said Espinoza. “My mentality, approach to training, and commitment have all changed. I’m three times more committed than in the first fight, and I think I showed that against Chirino. I want to prove it again against Ramirez.

“I know I have to stay completely focused in this fight. I made a mistake the first time, and it cost me. So, we’re focusing on being 100 percent concentrated because losing focus is easy when you get comfortable in the ring. I can’t afford to lose focus for even a second. That will be a key difference in this fight.”