Emanuel Navarrate wins rematch with Oscar Valdez at Footprint Center

Emanuel Navarrate and Oscar Valdez, two Mexican boxing rivals fighting in the Phoenix area for the umpteenth time in their careers, put on a show for fight fans Saturday night at the Footprint Center.

The two fighters headlined the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN event on Saturday night, a rematch of their 2023 fight won by Navarrete in Glendale, Arizona at the Desert Diamond Arena.

Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 knockouts) defended his WBO junior lightweight title with a sixth-round knockout of Valdez, who bravely stayed in the ring as long as possible despite being knocked down three times. The final knockdown was a left hook to Valdez’s ribs, and Valdez couldn’t recover from it with a pained look on his face.

“You are now experiencing the second phase of my career,” said the 29-year-old Navarrete. “You can expect great things from me in 2025. Maybe one or two more fights at 130 (pounds).”

Then a possible increase to 135.

A Navarrete punch late in the fifth round signaled the end for Valdez, who is 32-3 and Navarrete won the entire 12 rounds in their first meeting last August. A left hook sent Valdez’s mouthguard flying out of his mouth.

“No excuses,” Valdez said. “He is a great champion, I take my hat off to him.”

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez: Early knockdown for Navarrete

Fists were flying at the opening bell on Saturday as Emanuel Navarrete attempted to defend his WBO junior lightweight belt against Oscar Valdez.

Navarrete received some boos, while Valdez, who hails from just over the Mexican border (Nogales, Sonora), was the fans’ first choice for ring strikes.

The crowd chanted “Oscar!” Oscar!” in Spanish, but Navarrete scored a knockdown near the end of the first round. The blow appeared to be a hook to the side of Valdez’s head, and he got down on one knee to tell the referee it was a shot to the back of the head.

The two fighters came out swinging in the second round and had the crowd on edge for much of the round.

In the fourth round, Valdez crashed again just as the round-ending bell sounded. Valdez protested again, but to no avail, hoping the bell had already rung before the knockdown.

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez: Rafael Espinoza with TKO in co-feature

Rafael Espinoza stopped Robeisy Ramirez to retain his WBO featherweight title. The end of the fight came in the sixth round when Ramirez backed away from Espinoza with his hand raised, prompting the referee to intervene.

There appeared to be a problem with one of Ramirez’s eyes as he sat in his corner being checked. After the fight he said he had double vision.

Espinoza scored the technical knockout and remained undefeated at 26-0, winning the rematch against Ramirez (14-3).

“I was just doing my job. “Obviously I caught him,” Espinoza said in Spanish. “I had just started. Honestly, I think the pressure and the remaining rounds would be very difficult for him. That means he felt my power. He felt my hand. Maybe he thought he couldn’t handle it. But it happened. I have won.”

For reasons unknown to most at the Footprint Center, the fight was delayed for a full half hour, but that didn’t seem to bother the more than 8,000 fans in the arena.

Ramirez heard boos from the mostly Mexican boxing fans in the arena as he walked to the ring, but he had at least one supporter in the crowd – fellow Cuban Yordenis Ugas, a welterweight contender.

Espinoza looked really thin at the weigh-in, standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 130 pounds, although he probably gained a few pounds after and before his fight. He had a six-inch height advantage over Ramirez and used it to land solid right hands while Ramirez had to work his way inside and risk being hit by a jab.

Espinoza won the first meeting between the two fighters last year, a fight that went all 12 rounds.

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez fight card: Lindolfo Delgado KOs Jackson Marinez

Junior welterweight contender Lindolfo Delgado improved to 22-0 with 16 knockouts with his victory over Jackson Marinez of the Dominican Republic.

Delgado knocked Marinez down twice within seconds in the fifth round to force a stoppage of the fight. He retained his WBO Latino junior welterweight title by knocking Marinez down with a shot to the body that sent Marinez to his knees.

Fans of the Phoenix fight showed their appreciation for Marinez, shaking his hand and posing for photos with him. Delgado signed hats and jerseys before heading back to the locker room.

Delgado moved closer to a major title shot in his division.

Then the bell rang ten times in honor of the late Israel Vazquez, who was part of a rivalry with Mexican legend Rafa Marquez over the course of his 15-year boxing career.

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez: Another knockout for heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr.

Rising heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr., walking to the ring to the sound of classical music, rocked his opponent Isaac Muñoz with multiple punches to the head that wobbled him, and Torrez ended the fight in the third round when the referee stopped him after 59 seconds round.

Torrez (12-0) has knocked out 11 opponents. In late September, he snapped a streak of 10 straight wins at the Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale, a fight he won by disqualification.

Torrez fought five times in the Phoenix area and was so popular with autograph and photo seekers that he had to be escorted away by security so the next fight could begin.

While Torrez fought in the ring, to the delight of many spectators, main event competitor Oscar Valdez drove to the Footprint Center in a magenta low rider. After the Torrez fight, a live mariachi troupe played Mexican favorite “El Sinaloense,” a smart move by the Top Rank folks.

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez: Albert Gonzalez Gerardo Antonio Perez in featherweight bout

The Footprint Center’s lower bowl is packed, with a few fight fans sitting in the upper deck as Top Rank’s Navarrete-Valdez fight card rolls toward the main event.

That’s thousands of seats filled and three fights left before the main event.

Outside the Phoenix Suns’ home stadium, a group of low-rider bikes pedaled past the arena and onto Jefferson Street, drawing cheers from fight fans entering the building.

Fittingly, “Low Rider,” the classic Chicano anthem from War, played from speakers in the arena while featherweights Albert Gonzalez of Moreno Valley, Calif., and Gerardo Antonio Perez of Argentina exchanged blows in the ring. The fight went the full eight-round distance, with the 22-year-old prospect Gonzalez earning a unanimous decision victory.

Gonzalez improved to 12-0 and Perez, 28, fell to 12-7-1. Gonzalez’s trainer, the well-known Robert Garcia, rushed out of the ring to prepare the last of his five fighters for his fight.

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez: How to watch

The first of the two major title fights begins at 8:30 p.m. MST on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, while the eight other bouts can be streamed on ESPN+ starting at 3:30 p.m

What is Emanuel Navarrete’s fight record?

Navarrete, from San Juan Zitlaltepec outside of Mexico City, has a record of 38-2-1 with 31 knockouts.

What is Oscar Valdez’s fight record?

Valdez, who is from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico but has also lived in Arizona, is 32-2 with 24 knockouts. He is trained by the man who made Canelo Alvarez a future Boxing Hall of Famer: Eddy Reynoso.

How much does Emanuel Navarrete weigh?

Navarrate weighed 129.9 pounds, just under the 130-pound limit.

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