Oscar Valdez will seek revenge for his previous loss when he faces Emanuel Navarrete in a WBO super featherweight title fight in a rematch this Saturday, December 7, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
(Credit: Top Rank)
Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) says he’s moved on from a loss to “Vaquero” Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) in a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision last year on Aug. 12. He claims he had a great camp going into the match, which made the loss much harder to deal with mentally.
Decline of Navarrete
Valdez catches Navarrete at the right time in his career. He has looked terrible in his last two fights and is showing serious signs of being there over the hill. He is only 29 but looks much older, making one wonder if he was burning the candle at both ends between games. He wouldn’t be the first fighter to ruin his career by living it up between fights and not staying committed.
The stubborn weight that has settled around Navarrete’s once trim midsection signals that he isn’t living life between fights. With his growing gut, he almost looks like a retired fighter and no longer looks youthful.
Whatever Vaquero ate sticks to his ribs and slows him down. What he needed was a game camp where he was tortured and meals were regulated.
The Navarrete-Valdez 2 event will air at 10:30 p.m. ET/ 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN and ESPN+. In the co-feature, WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza takes on former champion Robeisy Ramirez in a rematch that could take the spotlight away from the main event if they put on another show like they did in their clash last year on December 9.
Valdez hasn’t given any indication of what he’ll do in the rematch to get the win, as he tried everything last time, but Navarrete had too much power and size for him. That won’t change for the rematch if Valdez has gotten stronger.
One thing Valdez, 33, has going for him is that Navarrete is coming off a 12-round loss to Denys Berinchyk on May 18 in a failed bid to win the vacant WBO lightweight title.
2012 Ukrainian Olympian Berinchyk completely schooled Navarrete, beating him inside and out and making him look like a novice. Navarrete looked flabby, slow and not well trained. If he looks like that against Valdez, he’s going to lose.
Valdez wants revenge
“You could see at 135, he didn’t look like a solid 135. I don’t doubt he’s making weight,” Oscar Valdez told Fight Hub TV when asked if he doubts Emmanuel Navarrete will make the 130-pound limit. their match this Saturday night.
“I don’t buy that part. I can’t train waiting for that,” Valdez said of whether “Vaquero” Navarrete is showing signs of deterioration. “I have to train to be the best version of Vaquero. I already stepped foot in the ring with him. I already know what it’s like.
“Now, it’s a different game plan, a different mindset. Most of the time you get a rematch, it was a close fight, and I admit it wasn’t a very close fight. It was a one-sided fight.
“When I fought Liam Wilson, it was a career-defining fight. If I lost that fight, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. So the fact that I won that fight, that was my ticket because after that fight,” Valdez said.
Valdez kept his career alive with a seventh-round knockout victory over Liam Wilson on March 29. This was a great performance from Valdez, but he was up against a vulnerable guy who had been knocked out in the 9th round by Navarrete last year on February 3rd.
“I started hearing more and more about a rematch (with Navarrete). I didn’t think much of it until I got the call. “Are you willing to take the fight?” Valdez said.
“My immediate reaction was, ‘Hell, yes. Vamano, let’s get it.’ What I will do is take advantage of it and learn from my mistakes. I was expected to win this race because I had a great camp. Losing, it was hard to get back into training. It was hard to maintain the same hunger I’ve always had,” Valdez said.
Last year, on August 12, Navarrete beat Vadez by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112. Navarrete has NOT looked good in his two fights since then as he was given a 12 round draw against Robson Conceição on November 16, 2023 and then lost to Berincik.
You’re looking at these two battles going on against each other for Navarrete. the only conclusion you can draw is that it shows signs of decline. He looked flabby around the waist in both matches, and that suggests he was enjoying the money he made. He’s obviously rich, and when fighters make a lot of money, it’s hard not to enjoy eating.
