LAS VEGAS – Rafael Espinoza defended his WBO featherweight title Sunday with a brutal beat down of Edward Vazquez, then later followed him to the T-Mobile Arena tunnel, hugging him as his fallen foe lay flat on his back receiving medical attention.

For as fearsome a fighter as he is, Espinoza sure has a soft spot, as evidenced by the recent trend of him grabbing the mic and serenading the masses in Spanish.

The 31-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, may not have sung about it, but he definitely wanted to say, following his Cinco De Mayo Weekend performance that he wants to be a fresh new face for his boxing-crazed country.

“I want to be a great Mexican fighter,” Espinoza said during his post-fight press conference. “In order to be the next Mexican idol, I need to have great fights, and I am willing to do that. I am at the highest point of my career, and I want to demonstrate my talent.”

Vazquez came into the clash having previously taken the likes of Joe Cordina and Raymond Ford to the final bell. He arguably won both fights but wasn’t rewarded on the cards.

For the 6-foot-1 Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) to dominate Vazquez the way he did en route to a shutout seventh-round stoppage win proved that his pair of wins against Robeisy Ramirez was no fluke.

It also spoke volumes about what Espinoza could potentially do against Nick Ball, Stephen Fulton, and Angelo Leo, the other 126-pound champions.

“I come to win. I come to throw punches,” said Espinoza, who landed 207 of 520 shots. “I like that, and the people like that, so any of the champions are good and interesting fights for me.

“I want everyone to see what I can do and be excited. I know that if I give everything, people will notice. I am always committed. I do it for the people.”

“Hopefully, I can fight two more times this year, but I am going to keep improving and demonstrating my level of skills.”