All the attention around Rafael Espinoza lately has been tied to the grandest of plans, focusing on what he will do in the future – whether it’s unifying the featherweight division, moving up for a crack at Emanuel Navarrete and a thrilling all-Mexico matchup or waiting patiently for current undisputed junior featherweight king Naoya Inoue to come to him.

What others are overlooking is the here and now, specifically Espinoza’s May 4 Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown with Edward Vazquez.

Espinoza, 26-0 (22 KOs), though, has his eyes fixed on what’s immediately in front of him.

“Edward Vazquez is a great fighter. He’s going to come with everything,” said Espinoza, the 31-year-old WBO titleholder from Guadalajara, Mexico. “We chose him because we know it would make for an exciting fight.

“I’m treating Vazquez as if he were an unbeaten champion. That’s how I’m taking things in my preparation, and that will ensure I don’t come in overconfident. Also, I know that it’s a huge opportunity for him, so he will come in the best shape possible.”

Vazquez, 17-2 (4 KOs), is a respectable but light-hitting fighter with a resume completely devoid of signature wins. He fought Raymond Ford in 2022 and Joe Cordina in 2023 in his most significant matchups to date, losing both – by split decision and majority decision, respectively. A win next weekend at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena would be a career-maker for Vazquez, a 29-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, while potentially scuttling all the big plans for Espinoza.

“The only thing on my mind is Edward Vazquez and defeating him on May 4,” Espinoza said. “But at the same time, I’d like to show the Japanese people that I’m also ready for Naoya Inoue. That kind of fight would help me become one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.”

Already, it could be argued, Espinoza is close. That the Vazquez fight will serve as the co-feature to Inoue-Ramon Cardenas on the card is no coincidence. Both Inoue and Espinoza are looking for big-money, legacy-making blockbuster fights – but each must keep winning in the meantime to maintain the luster on any potential matchup between the two in the future.

“This is an important fight for me,” Espinoza said. “At the same time, I don’t like to predict knockouts or tell people how the fight will end. I’m simply going to do my job. If the knockout comes, then great. Either way, I'm scoring a win for my people.

“It’s a great responsibility to fight on such an important weekend for Mexicans, so I see it as a source of motivation. I want to continue representing Mexico on these important fight dates.”

Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn and followed on X and Bluesky.