By: Sean Crose
Emanuel Navarrete put his WBO world junior lightweight title on the line Saturday night when he took on Charly Suarez in San Diego. The fight wás scheduled for a championship twelve and was the main event of an ESPN/Top Rank card. The 39-2-1 Navarrete, who had real trouble making weight, started off the fight trying to edge the 18-0 Suarez’ aggression. The defending champion went on to rattle Suarez later in the opening chapter. An accidental punch to the back of Navarrete’s head in the second round caused the action to be stopped. Once the round resumed, the two fighters went for broke.
The fighters continued trading leather in the third. Suarez was brave and game, but Navarrete’ strength advantage appeared to be given him the edge. The fourth was very exciting. Suarez nailed the champion, but Navarrete hurt Suarez immediately after. Sure enough it looked like Suarez was in trouble…yet the man survived. Once again the two fighters traded leather until the sound of the bell. By the fifth it was clear that Navarrete had a live wire on his hands, for Suarez could take a beating, but keep going. A possible left hook from Suarez gave Navarrete a huge cut in the sixth. Suarez, no pun intended, immediately went for blood. The champion survived the round, but the cut was obviously troubling him.
The pace slowed a bit in the seventh (How could it not?), but the fighters continued their war of attrition. Still, the fight got completely and officially stopped early in the round due to the nasty gash on Navarrete’s head, which meant the match had to go to the judge’s cards. For, after the commission looked over the footage, it was decided there was no way to definitely rule that the cut came from a punch. With that in mind, it looked as if the champion might well be able to hold on to his belt.
Indeed, the judges ended up rolling in favor of Navarrete. “It’s that warrior spirit,” Navarrete said in the post fight interview. “I felt good, I felt strong, I felt complete.” After crediting Suarez for being a very serious challenge, Navarrete said that he’ll take time and decide what weight division he now wishes to fight in moving on. Suarez himself stated that he thought the cut came from a punch. He then went on to quite understandably declare he’d like a rematch. Although he was obviously upset by how things worked out, Suarez still carried himself as a sportsman; something young fighters should take note of.
