Tag Archives: Zaur Abdullaev

Emanuel Navarrete to Defend WBO Junior Lightweight Title vs. Charly Suarez in May

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Emanuel Navarrete is going on the defensive…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional boxer will defend his WBO junior lightweight title vs. Charly Suarez on May 10 in San Diego in an ESPN main event, per an ESPN source.

Emanuel NavarreteNavarrete, ESPN’s No. 1 lightweight, will put his 130-pound title on the line for the fourth time.

He scored a sixth-round KO of Oscar Valdez in a December rematch in his return to 130 pounds.

Previously, Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) was outpointed at 135 pounds by Denys Berinchyk in May as he attempted to become a four-division champion.

Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) is the WBO‘s top-rated contender, so this will fulfill a mandatory obligation for Navarrete. At 36, the Filipino will challenge for his first world title. And it will be Suarez’s first time fighting on the world-class level.

Zaur Abdullaev will fight Raymond Muratalla on the undercard for the IBF interim lightweight title.

Vasily Lomachenko, who holds the IBF title, would next have to face the winner or be stripped. Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) is unrated by ESPN while Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) is No. 10.

Fight Freaks United was first to report the Navarrete-Suarez bout.

Jorge Linares to Fight Jack Catterall in October

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Jorge Linares has lined up his next opponent…

The 37-year-old Venezuelan professional boxer, a former three-division champion, will fight Jack Catterall, ESPN‘s No. 1 junior welterweight, on October 21 in Liverpool, England, Matchroom Boxing has announced.

Jorge Linares

Catterall dropped a controversial split decision to Josh Taylor in February 2022 in a bid for the undisputed 140-pound championship. Following several postponements of the rematch, Taylor moved on to a summer bout with Teofimo Lopez, while Catterall signed with Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom.

“It is an honor to share a ring with Jorge Linares,” Catterall said. “I’ve watched him come over to the U.K. on three occasions and win three times. He is a legend of the game and this is a must-win fight for the both of us for very different reasons.

“There is talk of a huge fight for me after this, but it’ll count for nothing if I take my eye off the ball — which I can’t afford to do at this stage of my career. It’s no secret my career has lacked momentum, so after boxing in May and now October, I genuinely believe you’ll see the best version of me on October 21.”

That “huge fight” Catterall mentioned is the rematch with Taylor. There have been discussions for a Catterall-Taylor encore targeted for late 2023 or early 2024, sources told ESPN. Taylor is set to campaign at welterweight after he lost his title to Lopez, but Catterall is willing to meet him in between 140 and 147 pounds, sources said.

But first, Catterall (27-1, 13 KOs) will need to come out victorious against the second-toughest opponent of his career.

Linares (47-8, 29 KOs) has captured titles at 126, 130 and 135 pounds, but at 37, the Venezuelan boxer has lost three consecutive fights. Linares was competitive in a decision defeat to Devin Haney in May 2021.

Afterward, Linares fought twice in Russia: a 12th-round TKO loss to Zaur Abdullaev and a decision setback vs. Zhora Hamazaryan in December.

“October 21 I’m back in the UK,” said Linares. “I’m full of emotion and ready to give everybody a spectacular performance against a tremendous opponent, Jack Catterall.

“I just want everyone to know that I’m ready to give Jack a great boxing lesson and to continue making history in the U.K.”