Emanuel Navarrete – Oscar Valdez 2

Knowing these 2 warriors, this fight will continue where the first one left off.

Two of boxing’s battle-tested world champions, Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez, will fight for the second time this Saturday. The fight will be a rematch of their epic August 2023 battle. They will meet at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Navarrete, a three-division world champion, will battle his former foe with his WBO super featherweight title on the line.

Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) beat Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) the first time by wide scores of 116-112, 118-110, and 119-109. While the numbers back a clear unanimous decision for the champ in his 1st title defense, they don’t reflect the effort by Valdez, one of boxing’s most exciting fighters.

Valdez returned in March of this year, stopping Australia’s Liam Wilson in 7 rounds, also in Arizona.  Saturday’s fight will be Valdez’s 3rd straight assignment in “The Copper State”.

Since the Valdez victory, champion Navarrete made a defense of his WBO world super featherweight in November of 2023, lost a lightweight world title shot last spring against Denys Berinchyk, and now looks to defend his WBO super feather belt again. 

While most pre-fight talk is fraught with insults and disrespectful banter between the combatants, these two proud Mexicans conduct themselves with class and decorum. While respecting each other as fighters, they are focused on putting up their best for pride and country. 

“Although we lost the first fight, we stayed disciplined and focused on returning stronger,” Valdez said. “I know it’s a tough 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’m excited and confident that we will be victorious this time," said Valdez, anxious to take another crack at Navarrete. 

Navarrete knows that Valdez is never an easy night but is confident he can defend his title before he looks to go 5 pounds north again. 

“The fans will see the same ’Vaquero,’ as always,” said Navarrete. “We’re working hard to regain the aggressiveness that defines me and give all the fans the intense fight they want to see. I still have a lot to do and big goals to accomplish in boxing, including unifying my title and possibly moving back up to 135 pounds."