Tonight, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, we will witness a night of action-packed rematches. When Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) defends his WBO junior lightweight title against Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza makes his second title defense against the man he defeated for the WBO featherweight championship , Robey Ramirez.
Both matches will have plenty of firepower with four warriors ready for a war; they will do whatever it takes to achieve victory.
In the first game, Emanuel Navarrete threw 1,038 punches, doubling Valdez’s output of 436. Oscar admitted that he made the strategic mistake of looking for the knockout against Navarrete. He said he wouldn’t make that mistake this time. He has made adjustments in camp and his game plan that will allow him to truly challenge Navarrete in the rematch.
Earlier this year, Valdez fought a tough opponent in Liam Wilson, making it look like he was losing the early exchanges. He intelligently made adjustments in the match, boxed him with in-and-out movement and was able to finish Wilson in 7 rounds. This is the same Wilson who gave Navarrete a tough match winning rounds in 2023 and dropped him in the 4th. Wilson eventually succumbed to Navarrete’s power attack and was stopped in the 9th round.
Navarrete is difficult to defend due to his awkward movement and unconventional attacking attack. He throws from unusual angles and hits his shots from distance. At yesterday’s weigh in he looked in shape, looked like he had a great training camp.
In the past, he has struggled to make weight and has been inconsistent in the ring when he has. We will get the best version of Naverrete tonight and Valdez should prepare for what will be a tough game.
Navarrete will look to do more of the same as he did in the first game and apply the pressure. He said he will be looking for the knockout this time around and wants to make a statement after his loss to Denys Berinchyk in May. Valdez will have to be great to defeat Navarrete and box similarly to how he did against Wilson.
He must box the match of his life and use the full repertoire of his skills. Using the jab, fin sign and effective lateral movement. Defensively, he must do his best to stop Navarrete’s punches by guarding, parrying, sliding punches, and not staying in the pocket any longer than he needs to.
Navarrete likes to throw 3 to 4 combo shots; Valdez must defend effectively against these blows to survive the match. At 33, Valdez knows that championship opportunities are limited from here on out, in true warrior fashion he will go to war and seek championship glory.
Source: Compubox
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