Emanuel Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) outworked Óscar Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) to successfully defend his WBO super featherweight title in Glendale, Arizona, USA. Having promised a war, both men delivered over 12 brutal rounds. With the win, “Vaquero” is now 12-0 in world title fights across three different weight classes.
As is customary following any bout, attention turns towards potential future opponents. Navarrete has already fought twice this year, having stopped Liam Wilson in February prior to Saturday night’s clash against Valdez. With it still being August, he could potentially return by the end of the year for a third fight. Big Fight Weekend takes a look at three possible opponents for Navarrete’s next bout.
Three potential opponents for Emanuel Navarrete
Charly Suarez
Suarez (15-0, 9 KOs) is a Filipino boxer currently ranked tenth by the WBO. On August 26, he is slated to appear on a Top Rank card in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA against Yohan Vazquez (25-3, 20 KOs). The fight will take place on the previously announced Jared Anderson-Andrii Rudenko undercard. Should Suarez defeat Vazquez, he could possibly be in contention to take on Navarrete by the end of the year. His ranking with the WBO and the fact that he is signed with Top Rank are factors that strengthen his case to be Navarrete’s next opponent.
Liam Wilson rematch
Wilson (11-2, 7 KOs) gave Navarrete plenty of trouble when they faced each other in February. Navarrete was dropped in round four and had to rally in order to stop Wilson in the ninth. In the aftermath of Navarrete-Valdez, Wilson congratulated Navarrete in a story posted to Instagram and called for a rematch between the two. Wilson currently has a bout scheduled for August 23 in Australia. He is also ranked sixth by the WBO. Should he emerge victorious, a second fight between him and Navarrete could take place by the end of the year.
Henry Lebrón
Lebrón (18-0, 10 KOs) has appeared on past Top Rank shows and is ranked seventh by the WBO. Having fought on the Josh Taylor-Teófimo López undercard in June, he would be ready to take on Navarrete later this year. Like Wilson and Suarez, Lebrón is someone Top Rank have worked with and setting up a bout between him and Navarrete would be considerably easier to make compared to other potential matchups.
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