Oscar Valdez (L) and Emanuel Navarrete (R) exchange punches during their WBO junior lightweight title match at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
A pair of world title rematches are scheduled for December 7th at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Emanuel Navarrete will look to end a two-fight winless streak when he faces the last man he beat, Oscar Valdez, in the third defense of his WBO junior lightweight title, while Rafael Espinoza will defend his WBO featherweight title against the which he raised will defend it from last December, Robeisy Ramirez.
The Top Rank promoted card will be broadcast live on ESPN in the United States, with the broadcast expected to begin at 10:30 PM ET.
Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) is looking to return to winning ways after losing a split decision to Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title in May, and drawing with Robson Conceicao in the fight before that. The 29-year-old Navarrete defeated Valdez by unanimous decision in their first fight, shutting down Valdez’s right eye to win 11 and 10 rounds on two of the cards.
Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) earned the rematch when he won the interim WBO 130-pound title with a seventh-round knockout of Liam Wilson, who had previously given Navarrete one of his toughest tests.
“The fans will see the same ‘Vaquero’ as always. We are working hard to regain the aggressiveness that defines me and give all the fans the intense fight they want to see on December 7th. I still have a lot to do and big goals to achieve in boxing, including unifying my title and possibly moving back to 135 pounds,” said Navarrete.
Valdez will once again have home field advantage, having been born in Nogales, Mexico but living in Arizona for much of his childhood. Their first fight also took place in Arizona, just a few miles away in Glendale.
“Even though we lost the first fight, we stayed disciplined and focused on coming back stronger,” Valdez said. “I know it’s a difficult 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 am excited and confident that we will win this time.”
While Navarrete-Valdez I had a more conclusive outcome, the first replay of the joint contest left a lot of unfinished business.
Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) derailed “El Tren” Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) when he won a majority decision last December and got off the canvas in the fifth round to score a knockout of scoring his own in the twelfth. . The fight was named Upset of the Year for 2023 by The Ring.
Since then, Espinoza has defended the title once, stopping Sergio Chirino in four rounds in June, while Ramirez, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, rebounded with a seventh-round stoppage of Brandon Benitez in June.
“I know the fans, like me, have been looking forward to this fight. This is a fight I wanted. I am very motivated and happy, and I train at 100 percent. This night of rematches will be great for Mexico, and I’m ready to give it my all, just like I always do,” said Espinoza.
“Since the cards were read, my team and I asked for the rematch. On December 7th I come to clear any doubts. I will reclaim my title,” Ramirez said.
The undercard, which will air live on ESPN+, will feature Lindolfo Delgada (21-0, 15 KOs) vs. Jackson Marinez (22-3, 10 KOs) in a ten-round junior welterweight bout, plus Emiliano Vargas (12 -0, 10 KOs) against Alan Ayala (11-4, 7 KOs) in an eight-round junior welterweight bout and Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (11-0, 10 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight bout against an opponent to be named.
