Emanuel Navarrete vs. Charly Suarez: Who Wins?

When you look at Navarrete’s BoxRec, you quickly realize how fast time has passed as he is now 30 years old and has been a pro for 15 years. Although he’s been a pro for that long, one thing he has never been able to master is cutting weight in a healthy way.

At most weigh-in ceremonies, Navarrete has made Skeletor from the 80s cartoon hit series He-Man look like a runway model. He would look horrible and seconds away from passing out on the scale he steps on. It was no different when he competed at 135 pounds (Five pounds north of where he holds the title) in May 2024 as he wore a thick winter coat in San Diego, where temperatures were already in the low 80s. He barely made weight then and it was yet another situation where Navarrete came close to paying the consequences of not making weight.

This brings us all to Friday’s weigh-in, where he came in at 130.3 on his first attempt. Then, an hour and fifteen minutes later, Navarrete weighed in at 130.2. With minutes left, panic began to settle in, and he weighed in again, but Navarrete was at 130.1. After stepping off the scale, the team told him to step on it again but breathe out. Once he did that, Navarrete made 130 pounds on the nose.

We now have a main event on Saturday, but which version of Navarrete will we get? He’s done this before and looked fantastic on fight night, but there is such a thing as going to the well one too many times. Could this be the time when he can’t pull the trigger because his body won’t let him?

Given the weight cut struggle, Navarrete needs to keep the fight on the outside and avoid an extended amount of time on the inside. He must use every bit of that 72” reach and catch Suarez coming in from a distance. If Navarrete can do that, he’ll have a shot at stopping Suarez late if he has the energy to do so at that point.

Hereeeeeee’s Charly

The 36-year-old Suarez, from San Isidro, Philippines, has an opportunity of a lifetime as he faces Navarrete for the WBO super featherweight title. During the final press conference and at the weigh-in, Suarez didn’t show any doubt and was happy to get the opportunity after turning pro just six years ago.

His last fight in September was a third-round stoppage over Jorge Castaneda, which landed him this fight with Navarrete. Just like Ramon Cardenas on Sunday night, Suarez doesn’t see this as a show and will look to surprise a lot of fans tuning in on ESPN or in attendance at the Pechanaga Arena in San Diego. Suarez hopes to put together the type of performance that either gets him the win or earns the respect of the fans.

So how does Suarez pull it off? Suarez is a come-forward fighter and will need to jab his way in and attack Navarrete’s soft body. Given what the champion went through just to make it to fight night, his body will be vulnerable early on. If Suarez can do this successfully, it’ll slow down Navarrete even more, opening things up late in the fight. With Navarrete throwing punches from all angles, it’ll be hard to stay dedicated to the plan, but if Suarez can, an opportunity could present itself late in the fight.

Emanuel Navarrete vs Charly Suarez Prediction

Although Navarrete tends to overcome any weight-in-ceremony drama on fight night, I think this time is different. Suarez may be getting Navarrete at the right time, so I’m going to pick the upset special on ESPN. Suarez by late stoppage.

Emanuel Navarrete vs Charly Suarez Betting Odds

Per DraftKings SportsBook, Emanuel Navarrete is the favorite at -400, and Charly Suarez is the underdog at +300.

Emanuel Navarrete: TKO/KO -105; Decision +200

Draw: +1600

Charly Suarez: TKO/KO +700; Decision +600

Emanuel Navarrete vs Charly Suarez Date, Start Time

• Date: Saturday, May 10
• Start time: 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT (ESPN+ undercards begin 6:15 pm ET/ 3:15 pm PT)
• Main event ringwalks (approx): 11:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. PT

These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights. 

What Channel/Stream Is Emanuel Navarrete vs Charly Suarez?

• U.S.: ESPN, ESPN+ & ESPN Deportes
• UK:   Sky Sports