Report- Emanuel Navarrete WBO Title Fight Set For October
One of the top KO fighters in Championship boxing recently, now has a confirmed date for his World Featherweight title bout. Emanuel Navarrete is officially on the schedule for the Top Rank “bubble” in Las Vegas for October 9th.
That’s according to a story from ESPN’s boxing insider, Steve Kim, overnight. He confirmed with Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti that Navarrete will now battle unbeaten, but little known, Ruben Villa for the WBO 126 lb. belt vacated by Shakur Stevenson in July,
Emanuel Naverrete to fight Ruben Villa for vacant belt; Mikaela Mayer set for first title shot… #boxing
https://t.co/s684gE3wkm
via @ESPN App https://t.co/c1OMWR8dtL— Steve Kim (@StevESPNKim) August 30, 2020
Originally, Top Rank, the WBO and Navarrete had agreed to a vacant title fight with Jessie Magdaleno, but Magdaleno refuse to take Top Rank’s reduced contract offer to to against the lethal punching former WBO Junior Featherweight champ, Navarrete.
Navarette knocked out Uriel Lopez in June in the sixth round of his Featherweight debut bout from TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City.
It was the sixth victory in the previous 13 months for Navarrete (32-1, 28 KOs), who burst on the scene, when he upset Isaac Dogboe in December 2018 to win his WBO world title.
Navarrete has now won 27 fights in a row since suffering his only pro loss in his sixth bout. Also, he previously injured his right hand in his 11th round TKO of Jeo Santisima in February on the undercard of the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder card in Las Vegas.
Thankfully for the fighter known as “El Vaquero” (The Cowboy) his hand healed without surgery and he used it impressively against Lopez in the comeback fight.
As for Villa, he is 18 – 0 but with only 5 Kos, but is ranked number 3 by the WBO at Featherweight.
Kim also reported then unbeaten prominent American female fighter, Mikaela Mayer (13-0, 5 KOs), will get a world title shot against WBO Junior lightweight champ, Ewa Brodnicka, 19-0, 2 KOs.
Mayer had hinted on Instagram Friday that a title shot was coming for her:
Kim’s report did not make clear whether the Mayer fight would be part of the October 9th card with Navarette headlining, but it is believed that it will be.
A veteran broadcaster of over 25 years, T.J. has been a fight fan longer than that! He’s the host of the “Big Fight Weekend” podcast and will go “toe to toe” with anyone who thinks that Marvin Hagler beat Sugar Ray Leonard or that Tyson, Lennox Lewis or Deontay Wilder could have beaten Ali!
