“We had our setbacks on the way here, circumstances beyond our control,” Navarrete said. “But we are excited to be here and for all our beautiful fans to make their voices heard. Nothing more to say, just looking forward to a Mexican war.”
At the weigh-in on Friday there were no problems. Navarrete came in a lean 129.2 pounds. IBF titleholder Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez was 129.8. Both made the 130-pound limit comfortably, a relief for Navarrete after previous scale problems in the Phoenix area.
DAZN will stream their 12-round unification bout Saturday night from Desert Diamond Arena.
For Navarrete, 39-2-1 with 32 knockouts, the venue holds history. He began this 130-pound title run there in February 2023, coming off the canvas to stop Liam Wilson in the ninth round of a wild fight. It remains the only knockdown of his career, and it ended with him pushing forward until Wilson folded.
He later beat Oscar Valdez by unanimous decision in the same building, stopping him in six rounds in their 2024 rematch in downtown Phoenix. His only appearance in 2025 ended messy, a technical decision over Charly Suarez later overturned in a no contest by the California State Athletic Commission. The WBO ordered a mandatory defense against Suarez for the winner.
Nunez, 30-1 with 28 knockouts, comes with his own evidence of growth. After a run of 18 consecutive stoppages, he was forced to go 12 rounds to win the IBF title from Masanori Rikiishi in Japan and then repeat the distance in a defense against Christopher Diaz in Mexico. The strength remains, but so does the patience.
“Navarrete is a very difficult style to face,” Nunez said. “We believe we have replicated that style in sparring. One thing we all know, with Emanuel Navarrete you can always expect a war. He has been a great champion for a long, long time. But we are ready to write our own history.”
This is the first unification fight for both men. It’s also a style clash between Navarrete’s volume and awkward angles and Nunez’s shorter, heavier bursts. One of them leaves with two belts and a mandatory guard. The others go back to rebuilding in a division that does not forgive hesitation.
Undercard weigh-in results:
Junior Welterweight – Emiliano Vargas 139.8, Agustin Quintana 139.6
Welterweight – Tahmir Smalls 147.0, Abel Ramos 146.2
Junior Featherweight – Arturo Cardenas 122.0, Jordan Martinez 121.8
