Oscar Valdez will take on WBO super featherweight Emanuel Navarrete in a 12 round headliner on ESPN tonight. Hardcore boxing fans, they found out about this fight a month ago, but it’s now officially announced. Navarrete-Valdez will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Valdez will likely be the favorite because he’s fighting at a higher level than Navarrete, who looks sloppy & fat since moving up to 130.
He’s clearly not skilled enough to get through the fight with Valdez without being defeated. It’ll still be an interesting fight, even though both of these guys are on the slide.
Navarrete-Valdez will take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) will attempt to become a two-time 130-lb champion after losing his WBC belt a year ago against Shakur Stevenson.
“Vaquero” Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) will be making his first defense of his WBO title that he won last February against Liam Wilson.
This is one of those fights that is a true 50-50 affair, which is impossible to predict a winner. Both guys are starting to look a little past it, particularly the 28-year-old Navarrete.
It’s not that he’s taken a lot of punishment in his career, but rather he’s not the trim, solid fighter he’s been when he fought at super bantamweight [122] and featherweight [126].
In Navarrete’s last fight, he got away with spitting out his mouthpiece after beinng dropped by Wilson and that gave him enough time to survive. The way that Navarrete struggled against the unheralded Wilson suggests that he’s not going to hold onto his WBO title for long.
“I’m excited to return to the ring, especially because it’s for a world title against ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete. Being a world champion is something that I always dreamed of,” said Oscar Valdez. “I already did it two times.”
Valdez didn’t look good in his last fight beating Adam ‘Blue Nose’ Lopez in a rematch last May. First off, it was a needless rematch because Valdez had already knocked out Lopez in the seventh round in their first fight four years ago in 2019. Lopez had lost his previous fight against Abraham Nova.
“Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez…this is a fight destined to go down as a classic,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Everyone watching on ESPN are in for a real treat. The winner of this fight etches his name among the great Mexican fighters. I can’t wait.”
Following a vigorous training session at The BXNG Club in the heart of San Diego, boxing phenom Navarrete unveiled some key insights:
Navarrete stated, “Our recent training camp was a serious grind. Despite the intense preparation, we managed to execute it effectively. Traditionally, I’ve kept to conventional training methods. But for this bout against Valdez, we’ve incorporated a physical trainer into the team, Francisco Javier Orozco. This particular fight demanded this shift in approach, and I’ll be stepping into the ring in top physical condition.”
Securing a victory in this match would create a massive leap forward for my professional trajectory. On a personal level, I’d feel a sense of wholeness. A key component that’s been absent from my boxing resume is a win against a formidable contender like Valdez. Triumphing in this historic Mexican showdown would be a matter of immense pride.
Navarrete continued, “Fans are well aware of my aggressive style, and they’ve come to expect high-energy bouts. Squaring off against Valdez, I’m certain the action will be doubly intense. Valdez is renowned for his relentlessness – he’s always on the offensive, always throwing punches.”
He added, “He’s made claims of aiming to knock my head clean off, but we’ll soon see whose head is really on the chopping block. I’m eager to see the fight Valdez brings to the ring, and how much we can both endure in this test of stamina and willpower.”