WBO super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete says he expects Oscar Valdez to be coming forward all night trying to take his head off with every shot this Saturday night, August 12th, at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) welcomes war with Valdez because that will enable him to do what he does best, and that’s throwing a lot of punches.
After Navarrete’s last performance against Liam Wilson, it might not end well for him if Valdez does attack him in an all-out blitz from the opening bell.
Navarrete looks fat & slow at 130 and nothing like the fighter he’d been when fighting at 122. He may have reached his ceiling when fighting at 126, and he’s out of his league at 130.
A lot of people feel that Navarrete should have been knocked out in his fight with Wilson, but he spit out his mouthpiece and was given a massive amount of time by the referee before the action resumed.
This will be Navarrete’s first defense of his WBO 130-lb belt and a big step up for him from the opposition he’s faced during his thirteen-year pro career.
Up to this point, the best guy Navarrete has faced is Isaac Dogboe, and he’s not in Valdez’s class.
The card will be shown on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
In the chief support bout on Saturday’s card, welterweight Lindolfo Delgado will face Jair Valtierra Junior.
Lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla had been scheduled to face Diego Torres in the co-feature, but he was injured and had to be scratched from the card.
“Personally, I would feel complete. What is missing in my career is a victory against a rival like Valdez,” said Emanuel Navarrete to Top Rank Boxing. “It would fill me with pride to be able to carry out such an iconic fight between Mexicans and win.
“I’ve never used a physical trainer. All my preparation had been very conventional; there was nothing extraordinary,” Navarrete continued.
“Now, with Javier, I realize there are details, or there is a more complete form of preparation. I am grateful for that. This fight with Valdez called for it. We are going to show up even better, physically speaking.
“I know that talking about me is talking about a lot of blows and an attractive fight. Now, with Valdez, it will be twice as spectacular. It’s going to be twice as attractive. Valdez is a fighter who has no reverse.
“We always see him going forward, throwing blows. This time, he says he’s going to blow my head off. Well, we’ll see, right? Good, all good. Very fast.
“Good, now I think the fight is 100% completed, and that’s good for the boxing fans. I think it’s going to be a good fight,” said Navarrete.
