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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
Emanuel Navarrete floored Oscar Valdez three times en route to a sixth-round knockout victory in a WBO lightweight title rematch Saturday in Phoenix.
Navarrete (39-2-1, 31 KOs) delivered a comprehensive beatdown of Valdez 16 months after he outpointed him in one-sided fashion. Given the uncompetitive nature of the August 2023 meeting between the Mexican brawlers, it was surprising Top Rank decided to run it back.
This time, Navarrete beat Valdez in much easier fashion, and it was clear that would be the case from the opening bell. There weren’t any knockdowns in the first fight, but Navarrete deposited Valdez on the canvas in the closing seconds of Round 1 with a combination.
Navarrete, 29, did so again in the waning moments of Round 4, the product of a chopping right hand. The following round, Navarrete sent Valdez’s mouthpiece flying with a left uppercut. Valdez (32-3, 24 KOs) simply had no answer for Navarrete’s uncanny angles and volume punching.
A well-placed liver shot from Navarrete dropped Valdez a final time for the count of 10 in Round 6, the finish coming at 2:42. Navarrete was ahead 50-43, 49-44 and 49-44 at the time of the stoppage.
“I told everyone before that I would have a new left hand,” Navarrate said in translated remarks, a reference to the hand that was surgically repaired in December 2023. “And that’s what has happened. It felt really good. We are now starting a second stage of my career. And I plan to take advantage of it.”
Navarrete won titles at 122 and 126 pounds before he also became a champion at 130 pounds. After the win over Valdez last summer, Navarrete struggled through two fights. First, he was held to a draw with Robson Conceicao in November 2023. Then, Navarrete moved up to 135 pounds and was outpointed by Denys Berinchyk in a lightweight title fight in May. But now, he appears rejuvenated.
“I can do a lot of good things at 130 pounds,” said Navarrete, ESPN’s No. 1 junior lightweight. “At least one more fight or two. And then we’ll see at 135.”
Valdez, 33, faces a far less certain future. The two-time Olympian has just two wins in his past five fights.
“We tried,” said Valdez, a former two-division champion. “That’s the most important thing. … I wish it was a better result. Maybe next time. No excuses from me. He beat me well.”
Valdez added: “It’s the same old ‘Vaquero.’ He throws awkward shots. You don’t see them coming.”
Espinoza defeats Ramirez again
In the ESPN co-feature, Mexico’s Rafael Espinoza scored a sixth-round TKO victory over Robeisy Ramirez to retain his WBO featherweight title in another rematch.
Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) landed a sharp right hand in the opening seconds of Round 6, and moments later, Ramirez (14-3, 9 KOs) walked away and signaled that he was done fighting. The referee halted the contest without a count 12 seconds into the round as Ramirez blinked and favored his swollen right eye.
Ramirez suffered a right orbital bone fracture, Top Rank spokesperson Evan Korn told ESPN. He was examined at Banner University Medical Center, and it’s possible Ramirez will require surgery.
“He got me with his elbow twice in the fourth round,” Ramirez, 30, said in remarks translated by ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna. “That’s when I started to see double. I told the referee. He did his job. He scolded him, but the damage had been done already.”
Ramirez added: “I think [stopping the fight] was the best decision. I did that instead of taking more punches, especially since I have double vision, and I couldn’t be at my best. That’s the best decision in order to take care of my health.”
When they met in December 2023, Espinoza scored a 12th-round knockdown to pull out the decision in a thrilling fight that was named ESPN’s Upset of the Year.
One year later, Espinoza is no longer overlooked, a lanky 126-pounder at 6-foot-1 who throws punishing punches from all angles. The 30-year-old entered the bout as ESPN’s No. 2 featherweight. Cuba’s Ramirez, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was No. 7.
“Obviously, I caught him,” Espinoza said. “I was barely getting started. Honestly, I think the pressure and the rest of the rounds were going to be very difficult for him. This means that he felt my power. He felt my hand. Perhaps he thought that he wouldn’t be able to handle it. But it happened. I won.”
Espinoza added: “I’ve said it from the start. I want to be a legend. I want to be a Mexican boxing great. I want to fight against anyone. I want the people to know that I’m here to give them great fights.”