There was a sense of validation above all else following Emanuel Navarrete’s most recent win.
The three-division and reigning WBO junior lightweight titlist claimed his most notable name to date in a convincing unanimous decision victory over countryman Oscar Valdez. Their August 12 ESPN headliner from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona saw Navarrete (37-1, 30KOs) turn a Fight of the Year-targeted contest into a showcase performance.
“It felt good to be able to overcome a great opponent like Oscar Valdez,” Navarrete told BoxingScene.com. “We put in a lot of hard work and the world saw the fruits of my labor. I’m happy to be able to come off a great win like that and immediately return to the ring.”
Navarrete will now enter his third fight of a very productive 2023 campaign as he defends his title versus Robson Conceicao. The scheduled twelve-round contest will air live on ESPN as part of the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos undercard from T-Mobile Arean in Las Vegas.
The three months between fights is a welcomed rate of activity enjoyed by the Mexican native during his WBO junior featherweight title reign from December 2018 through the pandemic. He was since forced to accept a two-a-year schedule before the opportunity arose to remain more active this year.
“When we go too long between training camps, it takes a lot of work to get back into rhythm,” admitted Navarrete, who won the WBO 130-pound title in an off-the-canvas, ninth-round knockout of Australia’s Liam Wilson in February. “It costs me a lot physically, so I really appreciate this quick turnaround.”
Navarrete crammed five title defenses into a nine-month span during his WBO junior lightweight reign. His activity level has since tapered off; this will mark his first year since 2020 where he will fight at least three times.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox