Oscar Valdez will seek revenge for a previous loss when he takes on Emmanuel Navarrete in a WBO super featherweight title fight in a rematch this Saturday, December 7th at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
(Credit: Top Rank)
Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) says he’s over his loss to ‘Vacuero’ Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) in a one-sided 12-round decision last August 12. He claims he had a great camp in the match, which made the loss much harder to deal with mentally.
Navarrete’s fall
Valdez catches Navarrete at the right time in his career. He has looked terrible in his last two fights and is showing serious signs of being there over the hill.
The stubborn weight that has settled around Navarrete’s once trim midsection signals that he doesn’t live life between fights. With his increasing strength, he looks almost like a retired fighter, and he doesn’t even look youthful anymore. Whatever Vaquero has been eating sticks to his ribs and slows him down. He needed a training camp where he was tortured and his rations were regulated.
The Navarrete-Valdez 2 event will air at 10:30 PM ET/ 7:30 PM PT on ESPN and ESPN+. In the co-headlining event, WBO light heavyweight champion Rafael Espinoza faces former champion Robeisi Ramirez in a rematch that could take the spotlight away from the main event if they put on another show like their December 9th clash.
Valdez didn’t give any indication of what he was going to do in the rematch to get the win, having tried everything last time, but Navarrete had too much power and size for him. That won’t change for the rematch unless Valdez gains strength.
One thing Valdez, 33, has going for him is that Navarrete is coming off a 12-round split decision loss to Denis Berinchik on May 18 in an unsuccessful bid to win the vacant WBO lightweight title.
2012 Ukrainian Olympian Berinchyk completely schooled Navarrete, beating him inside and out and making him look like a rookie. Navarrete looked limp, slow and not well trained. If that’s what it looks like against Valdez, he’ll lose.
Valdez wants revenge
“You could see at 135, he didn’t look like a solid 135. I have no doubt he’s got the weight,” Oscar Valdez told Fight Hub TV when asked if he wondered if Emmanuel Navarrete would make the 130-pound mark for their fight this Saturday in the evening.
“I don’t accept it one bit. I can’t train expecting that,” Valdez said of whether ‘Vacuero’ Navarrete is showing signs of deterioration. “I have to train for the best version of Wacker.” I have already entered the ring with him. I already know how it is.
“Now it’s a different game plan, a different mindset. Most of the time when you get a rematch, it was a close fight, and I’ll admit it wasn’t a very close fight. It was a one-sided fight.
“When I fought Liam Wilson, it was a career-defining fight. If I had lost that fight, most likely, I wouldn’t be here now. So, the fact that I won that fight, that was my card, because after that fight,” said Valdez.
Valdez kept his career alive with a seventh-round knockout victory over Liam Wilson on March 29. Valdez played great, but faced a vulnerable guy, who was knocked out in the 9th round by Navarrete on February 3 last year.
“I started hearing more and more about the rematch (with Navarrete). I didn’t think much of it until I got the phone call. “Are you willing to fight?” Valdez said.
“My immediate reaction was, ‘Hell yeah. Vamanos, let’s take it.’ What I’m going to do is take advantage of it and learn from my mistakes. I was expected to win that fight because I had a great camp. When I lost, it was hard to get back into training. “It was hard to maintain the same hunger I’ve always had,” Valdez said.
Last year, on August 12, Navarrete defeated Vadez by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112. Navarrete has NOT looked good in his two fights since then, getting a 12-round draw against Robson Konzeika on November 16, 2023, then losing to Berinchik.
You’re looking at those two fights happening back-to-back for Navarrete; the only conclusion you can draw is that he is showing signs of decline. He looked flabby around the midsection in both fights, suggesting he was enjoying the money he made. He’s obviously wealthy, and when fighters make a lot of money, it’s hard not to enjoy eating.
