An all-Mexican world title rematch between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez has been confirmed for December 7 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. The contest features the reigning WBO super featherweight champion up against the interim WBO 130 lbs titleholder. The event airs live on ESPN.
The pair first met last August in Glendale, Arizona. After 12 rounds, Navarrete defeated Valdez by unanimous decision and retained his belt.
In his previous outing in May in San Diego, Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) fell short in his bid to become a four-division world champion, dropping a split decision against Denys Berinchyk. Last November in Las Vegas, the 29-year-old native of San Juan Zitlaltepec, Distrito Federal fought Robson Conceicao to a majority draw.
“The fans will see the same ‘Vaquero’ as always. We’re working hard to regain the aggressiveness that defines me and give all the fans the intense fight they want to see on December 7,” Emanuel Navarrete said. “I still have a lot to do and big goals to accomplish in boxing, including unifying my title and possibly moving back up to 135 pounds.”
33-year-old Valdez (23-2, 24 KOs) returned to winning ways in March in Glendale, where he stopped Liam Wilson in the seventh round. With the victory, the Nogales, Sonora native lifted the strap in his new weight class.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to fight for the WBO world title against a great fighter like ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete. Although we lost the first fight, we stayed disciplined and focused on returning stronger,” Oscar Valdez said. “I know it’s a tough challenge, but not impossible. With that in mind, we returned to the gym and studied what we did wrong in the first fight to avoid making the same mistakes. I’m excited and confident that we will be victorious this time.”
In the co-feature, Rafael Espinoza defends his WBO featherweight title in the championship rematch against Robeisy Ramirez. Mexico’s Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) claimed the belt against Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) of Cuba by majority decision last December in Pembroke Pines.
Among the Navarrete vs Valdez 2 undercard bouts, Lindolfo Delgado (21-0, 15 KOs) of Mexico goes up against Jackson Marinez (22-3, 10 KOs) of the Dominican Republic at junior welterweight. Emiliano Vargas (12-0, 10 KOs) of Oxnard, California takes on Mexico’s Alan Ayala (11-4, 7 KOs) at super lightweight. Plus, Richard Torrez Jr (11-0, 10 KOs) of Tulare, California makes his ring appearance at heavyweight. The full lineup is expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.