Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete retained his WBO super featherweight title after a technical decision in the eighth round against Charly Suárez, in an event held at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
The fight was stopped before the start of the eighth round because Navarrete could not continue after suffering a cut above his left eye due to an accidental clash of heads. The fight went to the scorecards, where all three judges gave the victory to Navarrete: 76-75, 77-76 and 77-76.
Navarrete dominated the early rounds, outboxing Suárez in four of the first five rounds. In the first, Navarrete connected a right hand that caused bleeding in Suárez’s nose. The fight went back and forth, with Navarrete connecting his combinations and his characteristic uppercut, while Suárez tried to close the distance to connect his left hand.
However, an accidental clash of heads at the start of the sixth round opened a considerable cut over Navarrete’s left eye. The cut appeared to come from a punch, but the referee reviewed the action and maintained the decision in the ring.
I felt good. I felt strong. I felt complete. Unfortunately, what happened with the headbutt, obviously [the fight] ended like that. But while we were fighting, I felt good.
Emanuel Navarrete
Navarrete appeared to have trouble seeing out of his left eye for the remainder of the round, with blood running down his face. Suárez took advantage, connecting with some punches that Navarrete didn’t seem to see coming. Navarrete’s corner did a good job with the cut, but before the start of the eighth round, referee Edward Collantes called a halt to the action following the advice of the ringside doctor.
From the first moment of impact, I knew it was a headbutt, it split my eyebrow completely, and from the first moment I noticed it was a headbutt.
Emanuel Navarrete
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) has won titles at super bantamweight, featherweight, and super featherweight. He won the WBO 130-pound belt with a ninth-round technical knockout over Liam Wilson in February 2023. He made three title defenses before moving up to lightweight, where he lost by split decision to Denys Berinchyk in a fight for the WBO title. Navarrete returned to super featherweight and knocked out Oscar Valdez in the sixth round in December. This fight was a rematch of Navarrete’s unanimous decision victory over Valdez in August 2013.
Given Navarrete’s issues with making weight, there is a possibility he will return to the lightweight division for his next fight.
First, we’re going to address the cut we have on the eyebrow. We need to adjust some things, but obviously we’re going to take things slowly, make a decision, and see if we want to stay at 130 or try again at 135 pounds.
Emanuel Navarrete
Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs), who represented the Philippines at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, turned professional at age 30. He earned this title opportunity – the first of his professional career – by stopping Jorge Castañeda in three rounds in September.
In the co-main event, Raymond Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) defeated Russian Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) to win the IBF interim lightweight title by scores of 118-110, 119-109 and 119-109.
Muratalla was very active, connecting double-digit punches in 10 of the 12 rounds. He outlanded Abdullaev in power punches 82 to 36 – 25 to 10 to the body.
It feels great to finally have this [belt] around my waist. [Abdullaev] was a tough fighter. He came to fight. We knew that. I was just using my skills, I disarmed him and won every round.
Raymond Muratalla
Vasiliy Lomachenko, the IBF title holder, is recovering from a back injury and has until October to decide if he wants to continue boxing and keep the belt. Muratalla welcomed the challenge and said that’s the only thing he’s focused on now as the mandatory challenger.
Absolutely. I am the mandatory for him, so that’s what we’re waiting for. It will be an honor to fight him to have his name on my resume, and I am looking forward to that.
Raymond Muratalla
