Tonight, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, we will witness an action-packed night of rematches. As Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) defends his WBO junior featherweight title against Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza makes his second title shot against the man who is fighting for the WBO featherweight championship defeated, Robeisi defends. Ramirez.
Both games will have plenty of firepower with four fighters ready to battle; they will do everything they can to win.
In the first game, Emanuel Navarrete hit 1,038 hits, doubling Valdez’s 436 hits. Oscar admitted that he made the strategic mistake of looking for a knockout over Navarrete. He stated that he will not make this mistake this time. He made adjustments to his camp and game plan that will allow him to truly compete in the rematch with Navarrete.
Earlier this year, Valdez fought a tough opponent in Liam Wilson who seemed to lose the first exchange. He made smart adjustments to the match, boxed him with a jab move and was able to finish Wilson in 7 rounds. This is the same Wilson who gave Navarrete a tough matchup in 2023 and threw him in the 4th round. Wilson eventually succumbed to Navarrete’s power attack, which was stopped in the 9th round.
Navarrete is difficult to defend due to his awkward movement and unconventional attack. He throws from unusual angles and hits his shots from far. At yesterday’s weigh-in, he looked in shape, looking like he’s had a great training camp.
In the past, he has struggled to make weight and has been inconsistent in the ring. We get the best version of Navarrete tonight, and Valdez should prepare for a tough match.
Navarrete will try to do more of what he did in the first game and apply the pressure. He stated that he will be looking for a knockout this time around and wants to make a statement after his loss to Denis Berinchik in May. Valdez will have to be huge to beat Navarrete, just like he did against Wilson.
He should shorten his life and fully use his repertoire of skills. Using jabs, feints and effective lateral movement. He will have to do his best to block Navarrete’s punches by using guard, parrying and sliding punches and not staying in the pocket any longer than necessary.
Navarrete likes to throw 3 to 4 combo shots; Valdez must effectively defend against these shots to survive the match. At the age of 33, Valdez knows that his championship opportunities are limited from here, and in true warrior fashion, he goes to war and seeks championship glory.
Source: Compubox
