Emanuel Navarrete recognizes the opportunity to take the lead in a wide open 130-pound division.
Claiming the top spot, however, means he will have to beat the best fighters at the weight. With that came the immediate decision to revisit plans for a mouthwatering showdown versus former two-division champ Oscar Valdez.
“I need these big fights to prove to everyone—and to myself—what I am capable of,” Navarrete previously told BoxingScene.com of the all-Mexico clash. “I want to show everyone that I am the best (in the 130-pound division). These are the fights that will allow me to rise to the top.”
As previously reported by Boxing Scene, Navarrete-Valdez will headline an August 12 ESPN telecast from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The same venue was to have hosted the same bout in February, but Valdez was forced to postpone due to a previous injury which didn’t fully heal in time.
Navarrete (37-1, 31KOs) instead faced Australia’s Liam Wilson (11-2, 7KOs), who nearly shocked the world after sending the 28-year-old Mexican slugger to the canvas for the first time in his career. Navarrete was floored hard in round four but rallied to twice drop and eventually stop the visiting Wilson in the ninth round of their instant classic to win the vacant WBO junior lightweight title.
Valdez (31-1, 22KOs)—a two-time Olympian for Mexico who won major titles at featherweight and junior lightweight—was ringside for the ESPN-aired Fight of the Year contender and joined Navarrete in the ring. Both boxers acknowledged the inevitability of rescheduling their fight for some point this year, a necessity for Navarrete who wasn’t interested in a soft touch for the first defense of his third divisional title reign.
“After so much time, this fight will finally take place,” noted Navarrete. “Obviously, I am 100 percent motivated because Valdez is still a big threat, and a fight against him could possibly be the start of a new Mexico vs.Mexico rivalry like the one between [Marco Antonio Barrera] and [Erik] Morales.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox