Emanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete defends his WBO junior lightweight title against Oscar Valdez in the Top Rank boxing main event Saturday at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
WBO featherweight world champion Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza defends his title against Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez in the co-feature. Ramirez seeks retribution after losing the belt to Espinoza in December 2023.
Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs), who has captured WBO junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight crowns, defeated Valdez by decision in their first clash in August 2023. The 29-year-old’s bid to become only the sixth Mexican fighter to become a four-division champion fell short in May, when he dropped a decision to Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title.
Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) captured the WBO featherweight crown in 2016, and then moved up to junior lightweight, where he knocked out Miguel Berchelt in 2021 to claim the WBC title. The 33-year-old suffered his first defeat as a pro against Shakur Stevenson in April 2022. Valdez bounced back with a decision over Adam Lopez in May 2023 before falling to Navarrete. Valdez captured the interim WBO junior lightweight title in March with a seventh-round TKO of Liam Wilson.
Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Ramirez by majority decision a year ago in ESPN’s Upset of the Year and made his first title defense in June with a fourth-round TKO over Sergio Chirino. Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs), a two-time Olympic gold medalist, made one defense of the WBO title he won via unanimous decision over Isaac Dogboe in April 2023.
Also on the card:
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Lindolfo Delgado (21-0, 15 KOs) faces Jackson Marinez (22-3, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout.
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Emiliano Fernando Vargas (12-0, 10 KOs) and Alan Ayala (11-4, 7 KOs) clash in an eight-round junior welterweight showdown.
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Richard Torrez Jr. (11-0, 10 KOs) returns in an eight-round heavyweight tilt against Isaac Munoz.
Where can I watch the Navarrete-Valdez fight card?
Coverage begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The main card is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
Fans can catch all the action in the fight card’s streaming hub.
