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Emmanuel Navarrete Outlasts Oscar Valdez
In Brutal All-Mexican Showdown
Photos: Mikey Williams - Top Rank
Emanuel Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) wanted an all-Mexican
war to take his career to new heights, and that’s
exactly what he got.
Navarrete defended his WBO junior lightweight world
title via unanimous decision in a back-and-forth
slugfest against Oscar Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) Saturday
evening in front of 10,246 fans at Desert Diamond Arena
in Glendale, Arizona.
Navarrete’s reach and punch output were difficult
puzzles for Valdez to solve. The 32-year-old native of
Nogales, Mexico, tried to find openings for
counterpunches from his high guard stance, using his
head and feet to avoid Navarrete’s sudden bursts of
combos.
But as the rounds progressed, Navarrete’s power made a
difference as his left uppercuts and hooks caused
swelling below Valdez’s right eye. In the fifth and
sixth rounds, Valdez started to connect with counter
left hooks. In the 10th, a war broke out in the center
of the ring, with both fighters exchanging to win the
final rounds.
Navarrete, however, kept control of the fight in the
championship rounds and retained his title with scores
of of 116-112, 118-110, and 119-109.
Navarrete said, “I feel happy to have been part of this
card and of this next great chapter of Mexican boxing
history. I am happy and appreciate Oscar for the great
fight that we delivered.
“There was some inflammation in my right hand. And the
more I used it, the more it hurt. But I had to overcome
it.
“I think the people can best talk about what they saw.
They saw the fight tonight. I was here fighting with
Valdez. And I feel good. Thank God, I won. I appreciate
what he did in the ring. He is a Mexican warrior. If the
people want a rematch, they will demand it.”
Valdez said, “He is a warrior. I tried my best. We gave
it our best. He is a warrior. He is a true champion. I’m
sorry I disappointed everyone. I feel terrible. I wanted
to give you all a great fight. I hope you enjoyed the
fight. I hope to return strong.”
Lindolfo Delgado Cruises Past Jair Valtierra
Rising junior welterweight contender Lindolfo Delgado
(18-0, 13 KOs) scored a one-sided 10-round unanimous
decision victory against Jair Valtierra (16-3, 8 KOs) in
tonight’s co-feature.
Both boxed cautiously and evaded combinations with head
movement and footwork. However, Delgado was move active
with his output, landing combinations as well as counter
hooks to the body.
Delgado remained undefeated with scores of 98-92 and
99-91 2x.
Richard Torrez Jr. Tallies First-Round KO
U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (6-0, 6
KOs) needed less than one round to knock out Willie Jake
Jr. (11-4-2, 3 KOs) in tonight’s televised opener. Jake
lunged forward with wide shots, but Torrez was able to
time his counterattack and land a right hook that sent
Jake face-first to the canvas.
Jake rose to his feet, but the damage had been done.
Torrez swarmed him with heavy shots, and referee Robert
Hoyle stopped the contest at 1:22.
Torrez said, “It’s great to be back in the ring after so
much time off. There are still things we need to work
on, and I know that. We’re going back to the gym
tomorrow.
“It’s up to my team to decide when my next fight is.
They tell me to jump, and I say, ‘How high?’ I’m just
excited to follow the process.”
Lightweight: Emiliano Fernando Vargas (6-0, 5 KOs)
defeated Jorge Luis Marquez Alvarado (3-6-1, 2 KOs) via
second-round TKO. Alvarado lunged towards Vargas, who
responded with left hooks. After finding his rhythm,
Vargas began teeing off on Alvarado, dropping him twice
before finishing the bout. Time of stoppage: 2:17.
Heavyweight: Southpaw Antonio Mireles (8-0, 7 KOs)
scored a hard-earned sixth-round stoppage victory
against Dajuan Calloway (7-3, 7 KOs). After an
impressive start from Calloway, Mireles began to take
control of the fight with his jab. In the sixth, a
prolonged assault from Mireles forced referee Wes Melton
to stop the fight. Time of stoppage: 1:38.
Middleweight: In an all-Phoenix battle, Sergio Rodriguez
(8-0-1, 7 KOs) blasted out Eduardo Ayala (9-4-1, 3 KOs)
via second-round knockout. Rodriguez landed an overhand
right that sent Ayala to the canvas. Ayala rose to his
feet on wobbly legs, but a quick flurry from Rodriguez
forced the referee to end the contest. Time of stoppage:
1:02.
Junior Welterweight: Southern California product Ricardo
Ruvalcaba (10-0-1, 9 KOs) defeated Adrian Orban (6-4, 4
KOs) via second-round TKO. Ruvalcaba dropped Obran with
a hook to the body in the first round and dropped him
twice with more body shots in the second round to end
the fight. Time of stoppage: 1:11.
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