Tonight, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, we will witness an action-packed night of rematches. When Emmanuel 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 , Robeisi Ramirez.
Both games will have plenty of firepower with four warriors ready for war; they will do whatever it takes to win.
In the first bout, Emmanuel Navarrete landed 1,038 punches, doubling Valdez’s output of 436. Oscar admitted he made a strategic mistake in seeking a knockout against Navarrete. He declared that he would not make that mistake this time. He made adjustments in camp and to his game plan that will allow him to really challenge Navarrete in the rematch.
Earlier this year, Valdez fought a tough opponent in Liam Wilson, appearing to lose the opening exchanges. He intelligently made adjustments to the bout, boxing him in and out and was able to finish Wilson in 7 rounds. This is the same Wilson who gave Navarrete a tough match in 2023 by winning the round and dropping him in the 4th. Wilson eventually succumbed to Navarrete’s power attack, being stopped in the 9th round.
Navarrete is difficult to defend due to his awkward movement and unconventional offensive attack. He throws from unusual angles and strikes from a distance. He looked fit at yesterday’s weigh in, looks like he had a great training camp.
He has struggled to make weight in the past and has been inconsistent in the ring when he has. We’ll get the best version of Navarrete tonight, and Valdez should prepare for a tough matchup.
Navarrete will be looking to do more than what he did in the first leg and will apply the pressure. He has stated that he will be looking for a knockout this time around, looking to make a statement after his loss to Denis Berinchik in May. Valdez will have to be great to beat Navarrete and box like he did against Wilson.
He must box the match of his life and use the full repertoire of his skills. Using striking, feinting and effective lateral movement. Defensively, he must do his best to thwart Navarrete’s shots by using his guard, parrying, slipping shots, and not staying in the pocket any longer than necessary.
Navarrete likes to throw 3 to 4 combo shots; Valdez must defend against these strikes effectively in order to survive the match. At 33 years old, Valdez knows his championship opportunities are limited from here on out, in true warrior fashion he will go to war and seek championship glory.
Source: Compubok