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Emanuel Navarrete

Mexican boxer (born 1995) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Navarrete and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Emanuel Navarrete Martínez (born 17 January 1995) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a three-division world champion, having held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight title from 2018 to 2020, the WBO featherweight title from 2020 to 2023, and the WBO junior lightweight title since February 2023.

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He won his first world title, the WBO junior featherweight at the age of 23, dethroning champion Isaac Dogboe and then dominated him in a rematch. He made five successful defences, before moving up to featherweight winning the vacant WBO title against Ruben Villa, becoming a two-weight world champion. He defended the title three times, before becoming a three-weight world champion in 2023, winning the vacant WBO title at super featherweight against Liam Wilson. In 2024, he dared to become a four-weight world champion when he challenged Denys Berinchyk at lightweight, only to lose via a close split decision. Navarrete then moved back down in weight to retain his super featherweight belt. He holds two successful defences over multi-weight champion Óscar Valdez. Despite holding world titles at multiple weights, he has never unified.

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Amateur career

Navarrete had an amateur record of 108–7.[1]

Professional career

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Early career

Navarrete made his professional debut, at the age of 16, against Misael Ramirez on 18 February 2012. He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout. Navarrete amassed a 25–1 record during the next six years, winning all but three of those fights by way of stoppage.[2]

Super Bantamweight

It was announced on 17 October 2018, that Navarrete would challenge the reigning WBO junior featherweight champion Isaac Dogboe, in what was Dogboe's second title defense. The bout was scheduled for the undercard of a 8 December 2018, Top Rank card headlined by a unified lightweight title fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Jose Pedraza. The event took place at the Hulu Theater in New York City and was broadcast by ESPN in the Americas and by VITV in Dogboe's native Ghana.[3][4] Navarrete entered the first title bout of his career as a significant underdog, with most odds-makers having him a +500 underdog, while Dogboe was seen as a –800 favorite.[5] Despite this, Navarrete won the fight by unanimous decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 116–112 for him, while the third judge scored it 115–113 in his favor. Dogboe dropped Navarrete with a right hand in the ninth round, but no knockdown was called, as referee Benjy Esteves Jr. deemed it an illegal punch. The fight ended with Navarrete having landed (221 to 176) and thrown (804 to 686) more punches than Dogboe.[6]

The pair was scheduled to fight an immediate rematch on 11 May 2019, at the Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona. The rematch headlined a Top Rank card, broadcast by ESPN.[7] Navarrete was more convincing in their second meeting, winning the fight by a later twelfth-round technical knockout. He was in control from the beginning of the fight, keeping Dogboe at range with jabs and accumulating damage with straight punches. Navarrete began to dominate from the ninth round onward, with the former champion visibly flagging. Doboe's father and coach finally threw in the towel in the final minute of the last round. Navarrete landed almost three times as many strikes as Dogboe, out-landing the Ghanaian 314 to 121 in total punches.[8]

It was revealed by ESPN on 14 June 2019, that Navarrete was expected to make his second title defense against the undefeated Francisco De Vaca at a date, location and venue which would be announced later.[9] The fight was originally scheduled for the José Benavidez Jr. and Luis Collazo undercard,[10] but was later promoted to headline the 17 August Top Rank card, after Benavidez withdrew due to injury. The fight took place at the Banc of California Stadium on Los Angeles, California, and was broadcast by ESPN.[11] Navarrete justified his role as the betting favorite,[12][13] winning the fight by a third-round technical knockout. Navarrete spent the entirety of the fight pressuring De Vaca, undeterred by the power coming back at him, finally finishing his opponent with a flurry of punches at the 1:54 minute mark of the third round.[14]

Five days after Navarrete made his second title defense, Top Rank vice-president Carl Moretti confirmed that Navarrete would make his third title defense against the #2 ranked WBO junior featherweight Juan Miguel Elorde. The fight was booked for the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs. Otto Wallin heavyweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada which took place on 14 September 2019, just 28 days after Navarrete's previous fight. The fight was broadcast on BT Sport and ESPN+ pay-per-view.[15] Navarrete came into the fight as a –3000 favorite.[16] Navarrete won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout. He first knocked Elorde down in the third round, before stopping him with a flurry of punches a round later.[17]

Navarrete was booked to make his fourth title WBO junior featherweight title defense against Francisco Horta, in his fourth fight of the year. The fight was scheduled as for the undercard of an ESPN broadcast Top Rank card which took place on 7 December 2019, at the Auditorio GNP Seguros in Puebla, Mexico.[18] It was Navarrete's first title fight in his native Mexico. Navarrete won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout. After a slow start, Navarrete began catching Horta with looping punches, finally stopping his opponent at the 2:09 minute mark of the fourth round.[19]

On 30 January 2020, it was announced that Navarrete would make the fifth defense of his title against Jeo Santisima. The fight was booked for the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II pay-per-view undercard, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada on 22 February 2020.[20] Navarrete once again justified his role as the favorite,[21] winning the fight by an eleventh-round stoppage. Navarrete appeared to be unusually slow and fatigued throughout the bout, but still managed to stagger the Filipino challenger in the fifth round, before stopping him with a barrage of punches at the 2:20 minute mark of the eleventh round. Navarrete claimed that he had suffered a right thumb injury during the post-fight interview, saying: "I hurt him weirdly with my right hand and hurt my thumb but I had to plough through it".[22]

Featherweight

Navarrete accepted a fight at featherweight against Uriel López on 20 June 2020, for his next bout. He won the fight by a sixth-round technical knockout. He dominated his opponent, out-landing him 190 to 49 in total punches, and 150 to 38 in power punches. Following this victory, Navarrete claimed he would vacate his junior featherweight title in the post-fight interview, should the other champions refuse to face him in a title unification bout.[23] Navarrete officially vacated the WBO junior featherweight title on 12 July 2020, and moved up to featherweight. Due to the rules of the sanctioning body, he immediately became the mandatory challenger for the vacant WBO featherweight title.[24]

The WBO ordered their #2 ranked featherweight contender Jessie Magdaleno to face mandatory challenger and #1 ranked contender Navarrete for the vacant title.[25] As the two camps were unable to come to terms regarding the bout, the WBO ordered a purse bid to be held, which was won by Top Rank with a bid of $250,000.[26] Although the fight was initially expected to take place in October of the same year,[27] the idea was later scrapped as Magdaleno failed to respond to a Top Rank contract offer, unsatisfied with the proposed purse.[28][29] As such, the next highest ranked contender Ruben Villa accepted the fight instead. The fight for the vacant belt between Navarrete and Villa was booked as the main event of an 9 October 2020, ESPN broadcast card.[30]

Navarrete won the fight by unanimous decision, slightly edging Villa on the strength of two knockdowns. He first knocked Villa down with a left uppercut near the end of the first round, while the second knockdown was the result of a left hook in the fourth round. Two of the judges scored the fight 114–112 in his favor, while the third judge awarded him a 115–111 scorecard. Navarrete landed 163 to Villa's 131 total punches, while the difference in power punches landed was far more pronounced, with Navarrete landing 131 to Villa's 58. During the post-fight interview, Navarrete called for a title unification bout with the IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington.[31]

Navarrete was booked to make his first WBO featherweight title defense against the one-time WBO junior lightweight title challenger Christopher Díaz (26-2, 16 KOs).[32] The fight was scheduled as the main event of an ESPN card that took place on 24 April 2021, at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.[33] Just as in all of his previous title defenses, Navarrete was seen as the favorite to retain, with most odds-makers having him as a –900 favorite.[34][35] Díaz entered the fight with confidence in his ability to win. He analysed Navarrete's style in the ring and believed he could create an upset.[36] With three weeks to go, Top Rank announced tickets had sold out. The event was limited to approximately one-third of its total capacity because of social distancing guidelines, which permitted over 3,000 attendees to be present.[37] Navarrete weighed 126 pounds prior to his first title defense, having adjusted from an initial weight that slightly exceeded the limit. Díaz recorded a weight of 125.8 pounds.[38]

In front of a crowd of 3,262 people, Navarrete won the fight by a late twelfth-round technical knockout.[39] Navarrete dominated most of the fight, demonstrating his strength and executing accurate combinations. He knocked Díaz down several times, particularly in the fourth and eighth rounds with strong uppercuts and a series of punches.The fight ended dramatically when Navarrete delivered a solid right hook that knocked Díaz to the ground. His corner subsequently decided to stop the fight, leading to a TKO victory for Navarrete in the 12th round. Navarrete landed 257 to Díaz's 183 total punches, with 241 of those being power punches.[40] Following his first stoppage loss, Díaz praised Navarrete, "I’m very disappointed. I wanted to win. It’s a title shot. But next time. He’s a great f------ fighter. He hit hard. We went to war. I made my best fight. I was in shape. Everything was good." Navarrete commended Díaz and talked about upcoming matches, mentioning that he would take a break, acknowledging that this fight was very demanding for him, and expressing his desire to pursue unification at featherweight.[41][42] The fight averaged 715,000 viewers and peaked at 797,000 viewers. This was lower than the opening match featuring rising prospect Edgar Berlanga, whose victory over Desmond Nicholson drew a peak audience of 829,000 viewers.[43]

On 27 April 2021, just three days after his first title defense, it was revealed that Navarrete was in talks to face mandatory challenger Joet Gonzalez (24-1, 14 KOs). Gonzalez had earned his mandatory status by beating the three-time world title challenger Miguel Marriaga.[44] The fight was officially announced as the main event for the ESPN broadcast card on 15 October 2021, to take place place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.[45][46] A scale issue caused Navarrete and Gonzalez to wait a few additional minutes before making weight. Navarrete weighed 125.8 pounds and Gonzalez came in at 125.4 pounds.[47] Navarrete retained the title by unanimous decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 116–112 for Navarrete, while the third judge scored it 118–110 in his favor. Navarrete threw a hundred more punches than Gonzalez, with a total of 272 compared to 169, and also landed approximately fifty more power punches, scoring 204 against Gonzalez's 150. He threw 979 punches throughout the twelve round bout, averaging 81.6 punches per round.[48] Both fighters remained standing throughout the fight, although Gonzalez suffered visible damage, with cuts around both eyes by the fight's end.[49] Following the fight, Navarrete acknowledged Gonzalez's performance, noting that it was a competitive fight and emphasizing the importance of conditioning in his win. Gonzalez contended that he had inflicted damage on Navarrete during the bout and felt he might have secured a victory, pointing to rounds where he perceived himself as the stronger fighter.[50][51][52]

In June 2022, it was announced that Navarrete would make his third title defense against the #7 ranked WBO featherweight Eduardo Baez. The bout was scheduled as the main event of an ESPN broadcast card, which took place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, on 20 August 2022. Before the fight was announced, Navarrete was in discussions to challenge super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs), but the negotiations fell apart.[53][54] Navarrete registered a weight of 125.8 pounds on his second attempt after exceeding the limit on his initial try. Baez weighed in the same.[55] Navarrete overcame a slow start to win the bout by a sixth-round knockout. He hit Baez with a left hook to the body in the first minute of the sixth round, which led to his opponent taking a knee and being counted out at the one minute mark. Navarrete was down on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage, with two judges having Baez ahead 50–45 and 48–47, while the third judge had Navarrete leading 49–46.[56] He floated the idea of moving up to super featherweight in his post-fight speech, stating: "I’m going to rest because we had a difficult and hard camp. We’re going to sit down and talk about if those options include fighting at 126 or 130 pounds". Navarrete stated he did not underestimate Baez.[57][58][59] The fight averaged an audience of 485,000 viewers and peaked at 494,000.[60]

Super featherweight

On 9 November 2022, the WBO formally ordered Navarrete to face the two-weight world champion Óscar Valdez for the vacant WBO junior lightweight championship. He wasn't stripped of his featherweight title however, as he was granted a one-fight exception to move up in weight.[61] The vacant title bout was scheduled as the main event of an ESPN broadcast card, which took place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on 3 February 2023.[62] Valdez withdrew from the fight on 13 December. Navarrete was instead re-booked to face the once-defeated Liam Wilson for the vacant title.[63] Navarrete was knocked down in the fourth round but was given a long count, Navarrete was then able to rally back and win the fight by a ninth-round technical knockout.[64] Navarrete vacated his WBO featherweight title on 9 February 2023.[65]

On 22 May 2023, it was reported the bout with Óscar Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) was to be rescheduled to take place on 12 August, at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.[66] On 7 June, the fight was made official. The card was broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. Bob Arum praised the fight, stating, “Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez are proud warriors, and this is a fight that is destined to go down as a classic.” Navarrete believed that taking on major fights was his path to the top of the division and proving he was the best in his weight class.[67][68][69] Navarrete initially weighed 130.1 pounds for his first title defense. He then stripped down, and on his second attempt, weighed 130 pounds. Valdez weighed 129.8 pounds in his effort to secure a third world title.[70]

The fight took place in front of 10,246 spectators. Navarrete held onto his belt, winning the fight via a clear unanimous decision. He dominated Valdez with his constant punching and power. It was a gritty battle with both fighters showing a lot of heart, but Navarrete’s unyielding pressure made the difference. Navarrete threw an impressive 1,038 punches, landing 216 of them, while Valdez managed to throw 436 punches and land 140, highlighting Navarrete’s incredible work rate.[71] He kept Valdez on the defensive and connected with uppercuts and hooks that led to some swelling under Valdez’s right eye. Valdez did try to find his chances with counter left hooks and had some success in the middle rounds, especially around rounds 5 to 9, but he just couldn’t match Navarrete’s pace. The judges scored the fight 119-109, 118-110, and 116-112 in favor of Navarrete.[72][73] Afterwards, Valdez admitted that Navarrete was the better fighter that night, showing disappointment but also respect, and he promised to come back stronger.[74][75] Navarrete fought through inflammation in his right hand. The ringside doctor looked over the hand after the bout stating it should heal within a couple of days.[76][77] An average of 808,000 viewers watched the main event, with a peak audience of 884,000.[78]

Navarrete submitted a formal request to be promoted to "Super" champion status to the WBO on 15 September 2023.[79] Later that same day, it was announced that Navarrete would make his second WBO junior lightweight championship defense against the two-time world title challenger Robson Conceição on 16 November 2023.[80] Navarrete was officially promoted to "Super" champion status on 22 September.[81] Navarrete retained the title by a majority decision draw. Two of the judges scored the fight an even 113–113, while the third had it 114–112 for the champion.[82] Navarrete successfully underwent a minor left hand surgery on 2 December 2023, to repair an injury that was re-aggravated during the contest with Conceicao.[83]

Lightweight

Navarrete was scheduled to face Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, on 18 May 2024.[84] Navarrete lost the fight by split decision with the scores 115–113, 116–112, 112–116.[85][86]

Return to super featherweight

In June, the WBO ordered for Navarrete to make a defence of his WBO title against the interim champion Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs).[87] On 2 August, a rematch between Navarrete and Valdez was rumoured to take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on 7 December 2024.[88] In October the card was finalised as a doubleheader featuring rematches. Valdez was pleased with the chance to seek retribution. The card took place a day before Bob Arum's 93rd birthday.[89][90][91] Navarrete officially weighed in at 129.9 pounds, while Valdez weighed in at 130 pounds. Navarrete was entering the fight with a record 0-1-1 in his last two bouts, with his last win being against Valdez.[92]

There was 8,438 fans in attendance. Navarrete dominated the rematch, dropping Valdez three times, eventually stopping in with a liver shot in the sixth round, to retain his world title. Navarrete dropped Valdez once near the end of Round 1 with a combination, again near the end of Round 4 from a right hand, and a third time in Round 5 with a left uppercut. The bout ended in the sixth when Navarrete landed a well-placed liver shot that sent Valdez down for the final count at 2:42. Judges had Navarrete ahead convincingly on all scorecards at the stoppage, with scores of 50-43 and 49-44 twice.[93] Navarrete showcased improved aggression and precision compared to their first fight, using sharp angles and volume punching that overwhelmed Valdez, who could not find effective counters. Navarrete showcased improved aggression and precision compared to their first fight, using sharp angles and volume punching that overwhelmed Valdez, who could not find effective counters. Valdez struggled to keep pace and absorb the onslaught, failing to adjust his strategy effectively. Navarrete credited a surgically repaired left hand for his enhanced power, marking a new phase in his career.[94][95] Over the six rounds, Navarrete landed 106 of 380 punches thrown (27.6%) and Valdez landed 78 of his 232 thrown (33.6%).[96][97][98]

On 19 March 2025, it was reported that Navarrete would make a fourth defense of his WBO title against the undefeated Charly Suarez, who was ranked first by the WBO. The fight was scheduled to take place on 10 May 2025 airing live on ESPN at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego.[99][100] The bout ended in controversy by the eighth round, as Navarrete was unable to continue after suffering a cut over his left eyebrow, which referee Edward Collantes determined to be the result of an accidental clash of heads; as a result, the fight went to the scorecards, which read 78–75, 77–76, and 77–76 in favor of Navarrete.[101] However, new footage released sometime after the fight suggested that the cut may have been caused by a punch from Suarez in the sixth round, and if the referee had ruled it as such, then Suarez would have won by TKO.[102] Subsequently, team Suarez appealed to the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).[103] On 2 June, the CSAC overturned Navarrete's unanimous technical decision win to a no contest, prompting the WBO to order a rematch.[104]

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Professional boxing record

More information 43 fights, 39 wins ...
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