Nunez vs Navarrete: Knuckle Up for a Certified Banger

This Saturday night from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Eduardo Nunez and Emanuel Navarrete knuckle up in what is guaranteed to be an absolute banger. Eduardo’s resume is not as deep as Navarrete’s, so adding a name like this would do wonders for Nunez.

For Navarrete, defeating a hungry fighter on the rise would propel him into big fight opportunities. The event is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and will stream live on DAZN.

The key to Saturday night’s headliners on the Nunez side begins with getting off to a good start. Eduardo has a habit of starting slow, something that won’t help him in this spot. That’s not to say Nunez should rush out the gate, throwing caution to the side. Trying to figure out Navarrete from a strategic point of view is difficult due to his awkward fighting style. Nunez will use his solid jab to set up his power punches. Landing in combination will be important for Nunez, given the sheer volume of punches Emanuel brings to the table. He must not make the mistake of repeatedly trading punches while flat-footed standing in front of his opponent.

In all honesty, this boxing podcaster’s track record on predicting Navarrete’s fights has been lackluster. Much like his unorthodox stance and punch angles, the moment you think you have him figured out, he improves a skill minorly enough to get a win. The number of punches, along with his ability to change the velocity or angle of a punch while in the process of throwing it, is very impressive. The last time Navarrete went the distance, it was a close loss to Denys Berinchyk.

This boxing junkies mind is telling me to pick Nunez. Emanuel seems to be trending downward, losing 2 out of his last 3 distance fights. Eduardo, by decision, has great value at +136. Even if you pick against Nunez, hedging him with a money line bet or the decision is the right thing to do. Navarrete is a live dog sitting around +135 upwards of +150 on the money line. By decision, Nav is +340 and by KO +390 compared to Nunez by KO +260. All in all, here’s hoping boxing fans get a great fight on Saturday.

My Official Prediction is Emanuel Navarrete by split decision.

PODCAST LINK

Written by Chris Carlson, Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, i-Heart Radio, The Grueling Truth Sports Network, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts, & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio