Emanuel Navarrete Stuns Oscar Valdez with 6th-Round KO

Dec 8, 2024 at 6:47 AM
Mike Coppinger, the esteemed ESPN Boxing Insider, has been covering the sport since 2010. With stints at USA Today, Ring Magazine, and The Athletic, his expertise is widely recognized. You can follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger.

Navarrete's Knockout Victory Over Valdez

In a thrilling WBO lightweight title rematch on Saturday in Phoenix, Emanuel Navarrete showcased his exceptional skills. Navarrete (39-2-1, 31 KOs), who had previously outpointed Oscar Valdez in an one-sided fashion 16 months ago, delivered an even more comprehensive beatdown this time.From the opening bell, it was clear that Navarrete would dominate. In the closing seconds of Round 1, he deposited Valdez on the canvas with a combination. In the waning moments of Round 4, it was a chopping right hand that did the trick again. And in the following round, a left uppercut sent Valdez's mouthpiece flying. Valdez (32-3, 24 KOs) simply had no answer for Navarrete's uncanny angles and volume punching.A well-placed liver shot from Navarrete dropped Valdez a final time for the count of 10 in Round 6, with the finish coming at 2:42. Navarrete was ahead 50-43, 49-44, and 49-44 at the time of the stoppage. After the fight, Navarrete said in translated remarks, "I told everyone before that I would have a new left hand. And that's what has happened. It felt really good. We are now starting a second stage of my career. And I plan to take advantage of it."Navarrete had previously won titles at 122 and 126 pounds before becoming a champion at 130 pounds. After the win over Valdez last summer, he struggled through two fights. First, he was held to a draw with Robson Conceicao in November 2023. Then, he moved up to 135 pounds and was outpointed by Denys Berinchyk in a lightweight title fight in May. But now, he appears rejuvenated.

CompuBox Punch Stats of the Navarrete-Valdez Fight

Punches:Navarrete:Total landed - 105Total thrown - 380Percent - 27.6%Jabs landed - 27Jabs thrown - 164Percent - 16.5%Power landed - 78Power thrown - 216Percent - 36.1%Valdez:Total landed - 78Total thrown - 232Percent - 33.6%Jabs landed - 12Jabs thrown - 88Percent - 13.6%Power landed - 66Power thrown - 144Percent - 45.8%

Espinoza's TKO Victory Over Ramirez

In the ESPN co-feature, Rafael Espinoza from Mexico scored a sixth-round TKO victory over Robeisy Ramirez to retain his WBO featherweight title in another rematch. Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) landed a sharp right hand in the opening seconds of Round 6, and moments later, Ramirez (14-3, 9 KOs) walked away and signaled that he was done fighting. The referee halted the contest without a count 12 seconds into the round as Ramirez blinked and favored his swollen right eye.Ramirez suffered a right orbital bone fracture, as confirmed by Top Rank spokesperson Evan Korn. He was examined at Banner University Medical Center, and it's possible that Ramirez will require surgery.After their December 2023 meeting, Espinoza scored a 12th-round knockdown to pull out the decision in a thrilling fight that was named ESPN's Upset of the Year. One year later, Espinoza is no longer overlooked. Standing at 6-foot-1, he is a lanky 126-pounder who throws punishing punches from all angles. The 30-year-old entered the bout as ESPN's No. 2 featherweight, while Cuba's Ramirez, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was No. 7.Espinoza said, "Obviously, I caught him. I was barely getting started. Honestly, I think the pressure and the rest of the rounds were going to be very difficult for him. This means that he felt my power. He felt my hand. Perhaps he thought that he wouldn't be able to handle it. But it happened. I won." He added, "I've said it from the start. I want to be a legend. I want to be a Mexican boxing great. I want to fight against anyone. I want the people to know that I'm here to give them great fights."

CompuBox Punch Stats of the Espinoza-Ramirez Fight

Punches:Espinoza:Total landed - 58Total thrown - 267Percent - 21.7%Jabs landed - 24Jabs thrown - 151Percent - 15.9%Power landed - 34Power thrown - 116Percent - 29.3%Ramirez:Total landed - 53Total thrown - 122Percent - 43.4%Jabs landed - 13Jabs thrown - 41Percent - 31.7%Power landed - 40Power thrown - 81Percent - 49.4%