Emanuel Navarrete Retains WBO Junior Lightweight Title with Majority Draw Over Robson Conceicao

Emanuel Navarrete has retained his WBO junior lightweight title.

The 28-year-old Mexican boxer floored Robson Conceicao twice but settled for a majority draw in his title defense bout on Thursday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Emanuel NavarreteNavarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) dropped Conceicao in Round 4 and again in Round 7.

He was on the verge of stopping the challenger in the penultimate round as the referee inched closer to the action, but Conceicao never wilted.

Conceicao, an Olympic gold medalist from Brazil, won the final round on all three scorecards to avoid defeat in his third challenge and likely earn a rematch.

One judge scored the 130-pound title bout 114-112 for Navarrete but was overruled by two 113-113 tallies.

“I’m happy to come away with the belt,” Navarrete, ESPN‘s No. 1 boxer at 130 pounds, said through an interpreter. “We both did what we said we were going to do. … He’s a tremendous fighter. His technique is next level, and that’s what it makes it so hard.

“If it’s up to me, I would definitely give Robson a rematch because he definitely deserves it.”

Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs) dropped Conceicao in the fourth with a right hand to the temple and then knocked him down again three rounds later with a right hand to the body.

Conceicao (17-2-1, 8 KOs) was happy to stay in the pocket, though, regardless of the power disparity. He jabbed and moved and connected on combinations while Navarrete swarmed him with his patented awkward angles.

With both eyes swollen, Conceicao saved his best for the final round as he took the fight to the champion.

“I think we both deserve a rematch,” Conceicao, ESPN’s No. 7 junior lightweight, said through an interpreter. “I proved what I’m capable of. I give ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete a lot of credit. He’s a powerful fighter, but I know what I did tonight. I deserved the victory.”

If it weren’t for the two knockdowns, Conceicao, 35, would have earned the win. But instead, he likely earned a rematch with a career-best performance.

His first two title shots didn’t come on an even playing field. When he challenged Oscar Valdez in 2021, he did so weeks after Valdez tested positive for a banned substance but was allowed to compete. Conceicao settled for a controversial decision loss.

One year later, Conceicao challenged Shakur Stevenson for a title, but Stevenson weighed in over the 130-pound limit and cruised to victory.

Navarrete, meanwhile, was coming off a win over Valdez in August in his first title defense. The 28-year-old also won titles at 122 and 126 pounds.

Amanda Serrano Defeats Danila Ramos in Historic Unified Women’s Championship Fight

Amanda Serrano is a unified women’s champion…

After throwing more than 1,100 punches in the first unified women’s championship fight contested at 12 three-minute rounds, the 35-year-old Puerto Rican boxer beat Danila Ramos by unanimous decision, earning three 120-108 scores to retain the IBF, WBO and WBA titles.

Amanda SerranoIt was a night Serrano had hoped would be a potential change for women’s boxing.

“What’s so funny is that when I was in there, I really couldn’t feel the difference,” Serrano said. “In the sixth round, I was like, is it really three minutes or did they go back to two minutes?

“I felt good. I was in really good shape. I trained really hard for this fight knowing I had to go out there and prove to everybody, prove people right or prove people wrong, that women can do whatever they put their minds to.”

Serrano and Ramos showed they could do that — same as any male fighters. At the end, Serrano and Ramos hugged near the center of the ring. There were no knockdowns, no dynamic finishes — just a strong 12-round fight for the WBA, WBO and IBF featherweight titles.

It was a fight Serrano wanted for a while and one Ramos took nearly immediately, understanding the ramifications of being one half of history.

“I knew this was the time,” Ramos said through an interpreter. “This was the time for me to come through, come by and to let the world meet me. I’ve have always been a woman who fought for equality and women’s rights.”

It was in the championship rounds, where Serrano and Ramos had not been before, where the fight had its most electrifying moments. Chants of “Amanda! Amanda! Amanda!” reverberated throughout the sellout crowd at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, where Puerto Rican flags sat on every seat and were waved liberally throughout the night.

Serrano shined in those rounds. Her best punch of the night might have been a straight right in the 10th, which landed flush on Ramos’ head. Serrano came close to getting a stoppage in that round, bringing the crowd to its feet for one of the few times all night.

It had been a vintage half-round from Serrano, what she had so often shown in the two-minute-round fights she’d been in for more than a decade. It continued throughout the 11th round as well, with the Serrano punching Ramos around the ring.

Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KO) landed 338 of 1,103 punches — averaging 92 punches a round, reminiscent of her typical style. Ramos (12-3, 1 KO) averaged 71 punches a round and landed 120 of 846 punches.

And at the end, Serrano made it clear she wants to fight only three-minute rounds going forward. Her team said that as well — insisting they would not take on potential challengers Skye Nicolson or Alycia Baumgardner if they wanted to fight at two minutes.

At this point in her career, Serrano said, three minutes is what she wants to do.

“She’s the ‘A side,'” Serrano’s promoter, Nakisa Bidarian said. “She’s the decision maker. You want to fight Amanda Serrano, you come to Amanda Serrano’s house.”

It started, too, like a typical men’s fight, with both Serrano and Ramos feeling each other out over the first few rounds. Serrano and her trainer, Jordan Maldonado, said that was part of the plan — see what worked and what didn’t.

“I had to,” Serrano said. “It was the first 12, 3-minute rounds. I want to make sure I just didn’t give it everything I had in the first couple rounds just in case.”

Certainly more than they would in a typical two-minute-round women’s fight. By the third, though, Serrano’s typical aggressive style started to pick up.

Gabriela Fundora Scores TKO Victory Over Arely Mucino to Claim IBF Flyweight Title in First Attempt

Gabriela Fundora is officially a titleholder…

The 21-year-old Latina professional boxer scored two knockdowns en route to a fifth-round TKO victory over IBF flyweight champion Arely Mucino to claim the title.

Gabriela FundoraFundora threw punch after punch, finding the face and body of Mucino over and over again. It was clinical from the opening bell until the fight was stopped less than 10 minutes later.

In the end, Fundora (12-0, 5 KO) defeated Mucino to win the IBF flyweight belt in her first title fight.

“We just stayed calm,” Fundora said in the post-fight interview on DAZN. “We’re not going to go rushing into the fight. That’s not smart. So we just stay calm, stay focused and stay in attack.

Gabriela Fundora“And honestly at the end of the first round, we saw that she was hurt so I knew from there it was going to be a long night.”

A long night, at least, for Mucino (32-4-2, 11 KO), who was making the first defense of the title. She had also held the IBF, WBC and WBO flyweight belts earlier in her career.

This was Mucino’s first loss since 2015 and the second stoppage loss in her career — she lost the IBF belt the first time in a second round knockout against Ava Knight in 2011.

This fight took a little longer, but was a high-level performance from Fundora, ESPN’s No. 5 flyweight and a rising star in the sport since she turned pro at age 18. Fundora landed 136 of 305 punches throughout the four-plus rounds — a 45% connect rate — while Mucino landed 31 of 177 punches.

It was the third win in as many fights for Fundora in 2023, and her first stoppage since last April. Mucino, ESPN’s No. 2 flyweight, was also the toughest opponent Fundora had faced in only her third 10-round fight.

Trained by her father, Freddy Fundora, and often working out with her brother, former WBC interim junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora, they had been angling for this moment for over a year. And now, it finally came.

After the victory, she said her mom had cannolis ready to celebrate in their home outside Bakersfield, California.

“I’m just going to go enjoy that, enjoy this belt and enjoy the victory with my loved ones and my family,” Fundora said. “Take each step as it comes.”

Canelo Alvarez Remains Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion with Trouncing of Jermell Charlo

Canelo Alvarez has defended his undisputed super middleweight championship title once again.

The 33-year-old Mexican boxing superstar defeated Jermell Charlo on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in a lopsided unanimous-decision victory, leading to his third title defense.

Canelo AlvarezAlvarez floored Charlo in Round 7 with an overhand right, the second knockdown of the challenger’s career, but there weren’t many more opportunities for a knockout.

Charlo wasn’t willing to engage and rarely threw a punch. He moved away from Alvarez’s power shots all night but never attempted to make him pay.

Two judges scored the fight 118-109, with the other tally 119-108.

“Nobody can compete with this Canelo,” said Alvarez, ESPN‘s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer. “Two months in the mountains [training near Lake Tahoe] without my family. I still love boxing. I love boxing so f—ing much. Boxing is my life. Boxing made me the person I am today.”

Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) entered the ring the undisputed junior middleweight champion and had never competed above 154 pounds before. He was stripped of his WBO title once the fight started and said he would return to 154 pounds, where he still holds three titles. Australian star Tim Tszyu will defend the WBO belt October 14 against Brian Mendoza.

“I feel like it wasn’t me in there,” said Charlo, 33, who fights out of Houston. “I don’t make excuses. You win some, you lose some. I’m undisputed in my weight; I was daring to be great. I’m proud of myself. He didn’t knock me out; he knocked all the other guys out.”

It was clear by the way Charlo competed that he was looking to hear the final bell. Every time Alvarez closed the distance, Charlo slid over, but he wasn’t interested in engaging.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) appeared frustrated as he looked for Charlo to open up and afford him some counterpunching opportunities. It never happened.

Instead, Alvarez piled up points on the scorecards by expertly cutting off the ring with effective aggression and clean body punching, the hallmarks of his legendary career.

Alvarez acknowledged in the lead-up to Saturday’s bout that he wasn’t at his best in his three most recent fights and vowed to return to top form. He did just that. His movement, conditioning and punching combinations all appeared to be peak Canelo, though Charlo never presented much adversity.

Alvarez’s last inside-the-distance win came in November 2021, when he scored an 11th-round TKO of Caleb Plant to capture the undisputed super middleweight championship.

He moved up to 175 pounds for a fight with Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 and suffered his first loss since 2013, when he was outpointed by Floyd Mayweather. Four months later, Alvarez returned to 168 pounds to conclude his trilogy with Gennadiy Golovkin with a victory but faded down the stretch.

Alvarez revealed afterward that he fought Bivol and Golovkin with a serious left wrist injury and underwent surgery in October. His first post-surgery competition came in May when he returned home to Mexico for a decision win over John Ryder.

Canelo broke Ryder’s nose and scored a knockdown but didn’t finish him in a grueling fight. Alvarez conceded this week that his hand wasn’t 100% then and that he was not fully confident in his lead weapon.

After the win over Charlo, he reaffirmed that he is back to form.

“Whoever,” Alvarez said when asked whom he would face when he returns for his next fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend. “I don’t f—ing care.”

This victory was the first of Alvarez’s three-fight deal with PBC, but it was originally slated to come against Charlo’s twin brother, Jermall, the WBC middleweight titleholder. Jermall Charlo didn’t proceed with the planned fight as he dealt with a personal matter, and Alvarez quickly accepted the smaller Charlo as the new opponent.

“They look the same,” Alvarez told ESPN on Wednesday. “Same size, same everything. I don’t really care which Charlo brother it is.”

Charlo called out undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford afterward and said he was also open to a fight against the winner of Tszyu-Mendoza. Charlo was set to fight Tszyu in January before he broke his left hand in two places.

Saturday’s fight was Charlo’s first since May 2022, when he scored a 10th-round knockout of Brian Castano in a rematch to win the undisputed junior middleweight championship.

Alvarez, meanwhile, remains the face of boxing and proved without a doubt that he is still on top, quieting the critics who said he was on the decline at age 33 after more than 60 fights.

Emanuel Navarrete to Defend WBO Junior Lightweight Title Against Robson Conceicao

Emanuel Navarrete is going on the defensive…

The 28-year-old Mexican professional boxer will defend the WBO junior lightweight title against Robson Conceicao on November 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Emanuel NavarreteThe fight, which will be Navarrete’s third of 2023, will serve as the chief-support bout to the Shakur StevensonEdwin De Los Santos lightweight title fight.

Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) scored the biggest win of his career in August, taking a wide-points victory over former champion Oscar Valdez.

A three-division champion, he also captured titles at 122 and 126 pounds and is ESPN’s No. 1 boxer at 130 pounds.

Conceicao (17-2, 8 KOs) will vie for a world title for a third time. The 34-year-old Brazilian was set to stay busy on Friday night underneath the ESPN main event between Luis Alberto Lopez and Joet Gonzalez.

But with the title fight presented to him earlier this week, Conceicao was a late scratch from his bout with Humberto Galindo.

“I had to three fight three times to become champion,” Conceicao told ESPN’s Mark Kriegel on Friday on the ESPN broadcast. “It’s my time.”

Conceicao’s two losses came in title fights, both under extenuating circumstances. The Olympic gold medalist dropped a disputed decision to Valdez in 2021 after Valdez tested positive for a banned substance.

Conceicao challenged Stevenson for a 130-pound title last year, but Stevenson missed weight before he soundly outpointed Conceicao.

Amanda Serrano Set to Make History in First Women’s Bout with 12 Three-Minute Rounds

Amanda Serrano is preparing for a historic bout…

When the 34-year-old Puerto Rican boxer, the undisputed featherweight champion, defends her WBA, IBF and WBO belts against Danila Ramos on October 27 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, the two will fight 12 three-minute rounds instead of the official 10 two-minute rounds for title fights in women’s boxing.

Amanda SerranoThis will be the first women’s unified championship fight ever fought under the same rules as the men.

Serrano will defend her titles against Ramos, the WBO mandatory challenger, in a fight approved by all three sanctioning bodies and the Florida Athletic Commission and put on by Most Valuable Promotions, run by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.

“This fight is about more than some belts,” Serrano said in a statement. “We have faced a long and hard battle, united as women, to achieve the same pay, respect, and recognition in boxing.

“Together, on Friday, October 27, we will make history and prove to the world once again how incredible women’s boxing is and that we are just as tough, dynamic, and capable as any man in the ring, if not more so. This is a fight for women everywhere to be treated the same as their male counterparts.”

The number of rounds and the length of rounds for championship fights have been issues in women’s boxing for years — often brought up by many of the top fighters in the sport. When Serrano fought Katie Taylor for Taylor’s undisputed lightweight titles in 2022 — a fight that became the biggest event in women’s boxing history — Serrano lobbied for three-minute rounds but mentioned it publicly only after contracts had been signed. Serrano-Taylor was fought with 10 two-minute rounds.

 

There have been women’s title fights with three-minute rounds before — notably when Seniesa Estrada stopped Marlen Esparza in the ninth round for the WBA interim flyweight title in November 2019, but Estrada-Esparza was 10 rounds. Other high-level fighters, including pound-for-pound No. 1 and current undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields, have advocated for 12 rounds or three-minute rounds — or both — in the past.

 

In 2021, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN, “if I could get three-minute rounds, I would sign a number of women.” He believes it could add more excitement and opportunity. Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe also told ESPN in 2021 that he believed the longer rounds would increase popularity in women’s boxing. Former Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz also told ESPN in 2021 that he felt world title fights should be three-minute rounds.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán told ESPN in 2021 that he would not sanction three-minute round fights because he considers it a safety issue. He said his organization, which sanctions Serrano’s featherweight title, would not change its stance until “there is clear medical research clearance to do any changes.”

In MMA, men and women fight the same number of rounds and same number of minutes — three five-minute rounds for undercard fights and five five-minute rounds for championship fights and main events. This is a step toward giving equal fighting balance to women in boxing too.

Serrano (45-2-1, 30 KO) last fought in August, when she defeated Heather Hardy by unanimous decision in Dallas to defend her undisputed featherweight title. The seven-division world champion will be making the sixth defense of her WBO title and second defense of her WBA belt. Other than a split-decision loss to Taylor as a challenger to Taylor’s undisputed lightweight championship in 2022, Serrano has not lost a fight since 2012, and she has never been beaten as a featherweight, her natural fighting weight.

Ramos (12-2, 1 KO), 38, became the mandatory challenger in August when she defeated Brenda Karen Carabajal by split decision in Buenos Aires. She has won her past four fights — but three have come by split or majority decision. She has fought for interim titles three times — beating Carabajal and losing to Katharina Thanderz and Elhem Mekhaled. Ramos has never been stopped in her career.

In this fight, Ramos will be part of history.

The last known major women’s fights of 12 three-minute rounds came in 2007, when Layla McCarter defeated Donna Biggers on January 5 and Melissa Hernandez on February 14, both in Las Vegas. Neither one went the distance, as McCarter stopped Biggers in the second round and Hernandez in the eighth round. Now, on a bigger stage — the fight will be televised as a main event on DAZN — a 12-round three-minute fight will be happening again.

“Fighting Amanda Serrano for 12 three-minute rounds for a unified championship is set to break the barriers that we women have been looking to do for many years,” Ramos said in a statement. “We will go down in history and in the books.”

Teofimo Lopez Jr.’s Team Requesting “Super Champion’ Designation from WBO

Teofimo Lopez Jr. is hoping for a super decision… 

Top Rank sent an official request to the WBO with hopes of naming the 26-year-old Honduran American junior welterweight champion as the organization’s “super champion,” a designation that provides the fighter with special privileges under the WBO guidelines.

Teofimo Lopez“As you are aware Teofimo most recently defeated then WBO world champion Josh Taylor at MSG on June 10,” the letter from Top Rank’s vice president of boxing operations, Carl Moretti, sent to the WBO reads. “His performance has received accolades throughout the boxing community as well as a nomination for “Performance of the Year“.

 

“It should also be noted that Taylor is a former undisputed unified 140-pound world champion never losing any of his titles inside the ring when he fought Teofimo.”

Top Rank also noted that “The magnitude of Teofimo’s accomplishments” are enough to grant him the “super champion” status.

Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs), a 2-1 underdog at the time, handed Taylor his first defeat in June with a dominating unanimous decision victory at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the win, Lopez became a two-division champion at just 25 years old, lending merit to Top Rank’s request.

Fernando Gaztambide, WBO press officer, told ESPN that “super champion” designation is a status granted “to those fighters whose professional merits and accomplishments satisfy the criteria set forth in the relevant provision.”

Gaztambide also noted that it is not a title, but rather a status which grants the recipient certain rights considering his accomplishments.

“As a super champion a fighter gets certain privileges, like being named mandatory challenger for a champion in higher or lower divisions, lifetime membership with the WBO, extended time to make mandatory title defenses and other things,” WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel told ESPN.

The decision will be made this week, according to Valcarcel, and depends on Lopez meeting the required qualifications.

“We have rules and criteria the fighter should meet. If the five-member championship committee approves the request, it will need to be approved by the 23-member executive committee by majority,” Valcarcel explained.

Some of the WBO criteria includes that the fighter has a “multiple bout contract with a major television [company].” It also states that the fighter requesting the “super champion” designation had a minimum of 10 title defenses or if less than 10, the fighter has defended the belt against “opponents of high recognition and high skills.”

Other provisions are that the fighter has been a champion in more than one division or has held more than one championship from the other major organizations (WBC, WBA, IBF), or has been a unified champion, among others. Lopez checks all those boxes, having been a former WBO lightweight champion and a unified champion.

Currently, the WBO has five “super champions”, heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk, super middleweight Canelo Alvarez, junior middleweight Jermell Charlo, welterweight Terence Crawford, and lightweight Devin Haney.

Arely Mucino to Defend Her IBF Flyweight Title Against Gabriela Fundora

Arely Mucino is going on the defensive…

The 34-year-old Mexican professional boxer and reigning IBF flyweight champion will make the first defense of her title against Mexican American fighter Gabriela Fundora on October 21 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, according to ESPN.

Arely MucinoMucino, ESPN’s No. 2 flyweight, last fought in October when she beat Leonela Paola Yudica for the IBF title. Mucino (32-3-2, 11 KO) had been the WBO and WBC flyweight champion at points earlier in her career.

Her last loss came in 2015 by unanimous decision to Yessica Chavez. Mucino has won her past 11 fights.

Fundora, ESPN’s No. 5 flyweight, has been one of ESPN’s top prospects the past two years. The 21-year-old last fought in April, beating Maria Micheo Santizo by unanimous decision.

This will be the third fight this year and first title shot for Fundora (11-0, 4 KO), who is from California and is the younger sister of super middleweight Sebastian Fundora.

WBO Orders Undisputed Featherweight Champion Amanda Serrano to Fight Danila Ramos in Mandatory Title Defense

Amanda Serrano has been assigned her next opponent…

The WBO has ordered the 34-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, the undisputed featherweight champion, to have a mandatory title defense against Danila Ramos, potentially lining up the next fight for ESPN‘s No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter.

Amanda SerranoBoth Serrano and Ramos last fought earlier this month.

Serrano (45-2-1, 30 KO) beat Heather Hardy by a unanimous decision in Dallas, and Ramos (12-2, 1 KO) defeated Brenda Karen Carabajal by split decision in Buenos Aires.

If the fight gets made, it will be the sixth defense of the WBO title for Serrano.

Ramos, 38, has been in three “interim” title fights in her career — losing a unanimous decision to Elhem Mekhaled for the WBC interim junior lightweight title in 2019, a split decision loss to Katharina Thanderz for the same belt later in 2019 and then defeating Carabajal for the “interim” WBO featherweight title earlier this month.

It’s not clear why there’s an interim title in the division since Serrano has been active since beating Hardy for the WBO title in 2019.

The WBO is giving the two sides 10 days to negotiate and come to a fight agreement before it gets sent to purse bid.

Emanuel Navarrete Defeats Oscar Valdez to Retain WBO Junior Lightweight Title

Emanuel Navarrete is keeping his title…

In an all-out slugfest on ESPN, the 28-year-old Mexican boxer (38-1, 31 KOs) retained his WBO junior lightweight title against Oscar Valdez via unanimous decision by scores of 116-112, 118-110 and 119-109. ESPN scored it 116-112.

Emanuel Navarrete“I feel happy to have been part of this … next great chapter of Mexican boxing history,” Navarrete said through an interpreter. “I am happy and appreciate Oscar for the great fight that we delivered.”

“Thank God I won,” he added. “I appreciate what he did in the ring. He is a Mexican warrior. If people want a rematch, they will demand it.”

Round after round, Navarrete fired punches from awkward angles, rarely setting his feet. He uncorked looping right hands and lefts from uncanny trajectories while in constant motion. He totaled a dizzying 1,038 punches for the fight, more than double the output of Valdez, who threw just 436.

Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) was content to march forward and exchange with Navarrete, a strategy that rarely worked. When he took a step back, he often missed wildly on home run swings. He did, however, connect plenty with his left hook, the same shot that brutally knocked out Miguel Berchelt in 2021 to win the WBC junior lightweight title.

When Valdez drilled Navarrete with the counter left hook in Round 2 and the champion didn’t so much as budge, it was clear trouble was in store for the challenger.

Slowly but surely, Valdez’s right eye closed and turned purple under duress from Navarrete’s punishing, whirlwind attack. Even when Navarrete indicated that his right hand was injured late in the fight, he continued to throw with his power hand.

“It was a small inflammation in my right hand,” Navarrete said. “But the more you hit it, the tougher it gets. But I had to overcome it.”

Navarrete entered the fight rated No. 2 by ESPN at junior lightweight after he defeated Australia’s Liam Wilson to win the vacant title in February. Wilson stepped in six months ago to replace Valdez, who was injured, and almost pulled off the upset. Wilson scored a knockdown in Round 4 of Navarrete’s 130-pound debut, but Navarrete rallied to stop him in Round 9.

On Saturday night, Navarrete scored not just a second victory at 130 pounds but the biggest win of his career.

“He is a warrior,” said Valdez, who lived in Tucson, Arizona, during parts of his childhood. “I tried my best. We gave it our best. He is a warrior. He is a true champion.”

“I’m sorry I disappointed everyone,” Valdez added. “I feel terrible. I wanted to give you all a great fight. I hope you enjoyed the fight. I hope to return strong.”

A two-time Olympian, Valdez, 32, emerged with his face badly bruised and swollen, the product of Navarrete’s thudding shots. Of course, he’s no stranger to fighting through trying circumstances.

In a 2018 featherweight title defense against Scott Quigg, Valdez battled through a broken jaw to win a decision. His jaw was wired shut afterward.

He has been floored multiple times in his career but always bounced back to win outside of his fight last year against pound-for-pound talent Shakur Stevenson. And now, for the second time in three outings, Valdez will look to bounce back.

Navarrete, meanwhile, appears to be improving with each fight and each new weight class. He made his pro debut in 2012 at 112 pounds and won his first title in 2018 when he upset Isaac Dogboe. He then turned back Dogboe in the rematch before notching four more junior featherweight defenses against limited opposition.

At 126 pounds, Navarrete defeated Ruben Villa in 2020 to capture a vacant title and went on to score far more impressive wins against quality opponents, including victories over Joet Gonzalez and Eduardo Baez.

He has defeated the top boxer in ESPN‘s 130-pound ratings and once again was able to overwhelm his foe with not just volume but bruising power.

Navarrete will continue to be in demand, a champion on top of his weight class who consistently delivers action fights — and another in a long line of brave fighters from Mexico.