WBO junior lightweight champion Emanuel Navarrete, a three-division titleholder, is set to defend his belt against the undefeated challenger Charly Suarez. Their main event fight under the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN banner will take place this Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
Navarrete, aged 30 with a record of 39-2-1 (32 KOs) and ranked by ESPN as the top lightweight, is defending his 130-pound title for the fourth time. This bout occurs in the same venue where he previously lost a split decision to Denys Berinchyk a year prior, an attempt that would have made him a four-division champion and where Berinchyk claimed the vacant WBO lightweight title.
Charly Suarez, the WBO`s top contender holding an undefeated record of 18-0 (10 KOs), gets his first opportunity to fight for a world title at the age of 36.
In the co-main event, Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) will compete against Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) for the vacant interim IBF lightweight championship.
Additional Bouts on the Card:
Junior lightweight prospect Andres Cortes (22-0, 12 KOs) aims to bolster his claim for a title shot in a 10-round contest against Salvador Jimenez (14-1-1, 6 KOs).
Featherweight Albert Gonzalez (13-0, 7 KOs) seeks his second victory within two months, facing Jose Guardado (16-3-1, 6 KOs) over 10 rounds.
A 10-round welterweight encounter pits Giovani Santillan (33-1, 18 KOs) against Angel Beltran Villa (18-2, 11 KOs).
An eight-round lightweight fight features Alan Garcia (15-1, 11 KOs) versus Cristian Medina Garcia (8-2-1, 5 KOs).
Junior featherweight prospect Sebastian Hernandez Reyes (19-0, 18 KOs) is scheduled for an eight-round clash with Azat Hovhannisyan (21-5, 17 KOs).
In a four-round junior welterweight bout, Sammy Contreras (1-0, 1 KO) takes on Dyllon Cervantes Alvarado (4-5-1, 2 KOs).
Perla Bazaldua (1-0, 1 KO) will make her promotional debut in a four-round junior bantamweight contest against Mona Ward (0-1).
Where to Watch:
Live coverage of the event begins Saturday, May 10th, at 5:30 p.m. ET, available on ESPN+ and Disney+. The main fight card is slated to start at 10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Pre-Fight Schedule:
Thursday:
News conference for Navarrete vs. Suarez: 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+
Friday:
Official weigh-in for Navarrete vs. Suarez: 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+