Two-division world champion Oscar Valdez challenges three-division world champion and his Mexican-fellow Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO junior lightweight title at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday, August 12. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 12 rounds main event bout live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and live stream on ESPN+.
In the co-feature, Raymond Muratalla and Diego Torres battle it out in a 10-rounder at lightweight. The main card opener features Richard Torrez Jr up against Willie Jake Jr in a six-rounder at heavyweight.
Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs), from Nogales, represented Mexico at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The 32-year-old captured his first world title in July 2016 with a second-round stoppage win over Matias Rueda. In February 2021, he became a two-division world champion with a 10th-round knockout against Miguel Berchelt. Valdez suffered his first loss to Shakur Stevenson in April 2022 and is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Adam Lopez in May.
Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) captured the WBO junior featherweight world title by defeating Isaac Dogboe in December 2018. After five defenses, he moved up to featherweight and defeated Ruben Villa for the vacant WBO title in October 2020. In February, the 28-year-old native of San Juan Zitlaltepec became a three-division world champion when he stopped Liam Wilson in nine rounds.
Tickets for the event can be purchased through TicketNetwork and TicketSmarter.
This is what Valdez had to say after a recent training session in Lake Tahoe:
‘A War is Coming!’
“I’m excited. It’s getting close. It’s one of the most important fights of my career because it means everything for me to come back and win that title. I feel blessed to have this opportunity, and I’m taking advantage of it every single day so that I can accomplish my dream.”
“We all know that Navarrete has an awkward style. We might not have the perfect sparring that can emulate his style. But we try to imitate him in the mittwork and strategy. He’s not your typical fighter that throws straight shots.”
“I like training here in Lake Tahoe. It’s isolated from everybody. We’re up in the mountains. We’re training in great weather and at a great altitude. I love it here. It’s nice and relaxing. There’s no anxiety here. There’s clear air. It’s perfect for being focused on camp.”
“I always tell people that I grew up during the era of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. Those two fighters inspired me to be the fighter that I am today. So, to leave something similar in history would mean the world to me.”
“I’m more motivated for this fight than any other fight I’ve been in. People are excited about this fight. Everywhere I go, I get the same question: ‘When are you going to fight Vaquero?’ And that’s because we all know that a war is coming.”
In the UK and Australia, Emanuel Navarrete vs Oscar Valdez airs live on Sunday, August 13.
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