Technically Speaking: Navarrete Edges Suarez to Retain Crown
Emanuel Navarrete retained his WBO junior lightweight world title Saturday evening with an eighth-round technical decision over Filipino contender Charly Suarez. The fight was halted early due to a cut over Navarrete’s left eye, which referee Edward Collantes ruled was caused by an accidental headbutt.
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) came out firing, launching wild right hands and leaping left hooks that bloodied Suarez’s nose in the opening round. Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, found moments of success, sometimes landing on Navarrete’s head and sometimes just on his gloves.
In the sixth, Navarrete suffered the cut, and the two continued to trade heavy shots in the seventh as the Mexican began to bleed profusely. The ringside physician waved it off just after bell sounded to start round eight.
Navarrete prevailed by scores of 77-76 2x and 78-75.
“It’s that warrior spirit of being a Mexican that helped us today,” Navarrete said. “I felt good, I felt strong, I felt complete. Unfortunately, what happened with the headbutt obviously it ended like that. But while we were fighting, I felt good.
“From the first moment of the impact, I knew it was a headbutt. It split my eyebrow completely, and from the first moment I noticed it was a headbutt.”
Suarez said, “Right now I’m sad, but that is part of the game, and I know that Navarrete won the fight, but that’s part of the game. I would like to make a rematch. I want a rematch with Navarrete.”
IBF Loves Raymond
SoCal native Raymond Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) defeated Russian contender Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) via one-sided unanimous decision (119-109 2x and 118-110) for the vacant Interim IBF lightweight world title.
Muratalla boxed cautiously from the outside, using an extended lead hand before ripping short punches down the pipe.
At times, the 28-year-old got close to land left hooks and right hands around Abdullaev’s guard before using his feet to step out of harm’s way.
Abduallaev tried to mount an offense as the rounds progressed, but Muratalla was too slick and too fast for him to land cleanly.
“He was a tough fighter. He came to fight. I knew that,” Muratalla said. “I was just using my skills and picked him apart and beat him every round.
“I’m the mandatory for {IBF champion} Vasiliy Lomachenko. That’s what we’re looking for. It would be an honor to fight him, to have his name on my resume. I’m looking forward to that.”
Junior Lightweight: Andres Cortes (23-0, 12 KOs) returned from a nearly 11-month layoff and secured a 10-round unanimous decision over Spain’s Salvador Jimenez (14-2-1, 6 KOs) in a largely tactical bout. Scores: 100-90 2x and 99-91.
Welterweight: San Diego native Giovani Santillan (34-1, 18 KOs) earned a workmanlike 10-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Angel Beltran (18-3, 11 KOs). Returning to the site of his lone defeat, last May’s TKO loss to Brian Norman Jr., Santillan exorcised those demons and secured his second straight victory. Scores: 97-93 3x.
Junior Bantamweight: Perla Bazaldua (2-0, 1 KO) shined in her Top Rank debut, shutting out and shutting down the capable Mona Ward (0-2) over four one-sided rounds. Scores: 40-36 3x.
Lightweight: Alan Garcia (16-1, 11 KOs) scored a unanimous points verdict against Cristian Medina (8-3-1, 5 KOs). Garcia was buzzed in the second round, but he recovered to outbox and outfight the durable Mexican veteran. Scores: 79-73 3x.
Junior Featherweight: Sebastian Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs), a rising contender from Tijuana, Mexico, earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over former world title challenger Azat Hovhannisyan (21-6, 17 KOs). Hovhannisyan had moments, but Hernandez pulled away down the stretch and went the 10-round distance for the first time. Scores: 98-91 3x.
Junior Welterweight: Sammy Contreras (2-0, 1 KO) UD 4 Dyllon Cervantes Alvarado (4-6-1, 2 KOs), Scores: 40-36 3x.
