Pick It: Emanuel Navarrete-Oscar Valdez II and Rafael Espinoza-Robeisy Ramirez II
When to Watch: Saturday, December 7
The main broadcast begins at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time (3:30 a.m. GMT).
The preliminary broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time (10:30 p.m. GMT).
How to watch: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ in the United States; Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Why to Watch: There are two title fights on this show at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and both of them are rematches.
In the headliner, Navarrete defends his WBO junior lightweight world title against Valdez, a sequel to their entertaining outing from August 2023, which Navarrete won by unanimous decision.
A win will propel Navarrete forward to, well, something to be determined, given the current state of uncertainty in this weight class. A victory for Valdez, meanwhile, would not only get him revenge, but would get him another world title and keep him from being written off as no longer able to compete against top-tier opponents.
Which may seem unfair, given that Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) has only lost to very good fighters in Shakur Stevenson and Navarrete. But it’s true nonetheless.
After winning a world title at 126, Valdez moved up to 130 and earned the WBC title with a highlight-reel 10th-round knockout of Miguel Berchelt in February 2021. He lost it following two successful defenses, outclassed in a unification bout with WBO titleholder Stevenson in April 2022.
When Stevenson left junior lightweight, Navarrete picked up the vacant WBO belt with a February 2023 ninth-round TKO of Liam Wilson, giving Navarrete a title in a third weight class after reigns at 122 and 126.
The 29-year-old from San Juan Zitlaltepec, Distrito Federal, Mexico, has made two defenses since: the win over Valdez and a draw with Robson Conceicao in November 2023. Navarrete then tried out the lightweight division, aiming for a title in a fourth weight class, but lost a split decision to Denys Berinchyk in May in a bout for the vacant WBO lightweight belt. He is 38-2-1 (31 KOs).
As for Valdez, the 33-year-old from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, bounced back from the Navarrete defeat with a seventh-round TKO of the aforementioned Wilson in March.
Where could the winner go from here? The other titles belong to Anthony Cacace (IBF), who’s considering a move to lightweight; Lamont Roach Jnr (WBA), who’s challenging lightweight titleholder Gervonta Davis in March; and O’Shaquie Foster (WBC). There’s no clear standout at 130 until these names begin to face each other. There’s also rising contender Eduardo Nunez, who’s aiming for Cacace; plus the guys ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by the WBO, Charly Suarez and Andres Cortes, one of whom may be in line for a shot at the winner of Navarrete-Valdez II sometime in 2025.
Oh, and there’s a possibility that if Espinoza defeats Ramirez again, he might move up to 130. Which helps us transition into talking about the co-feature.
Espinoza and Ramirez’s first fight, which took place almost exactly a year ago, saw Espinoza come off the canvas in the fifth round, score a knockdown of his own in the 12th, and edge Ramirez by majority decision to win the WBO featherweight belt.
Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) dominated in his first defense, flooring Sergio Chirino three times en route to a fourth-round TKO in June. But the 30-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, stands 6-foot-1 and likely wants some mercy at the scales.
That was the first defeat in a bit for Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs), dating back to when the two-time Olympic gold medalist suffered a surprising loss in his pro debut in 2019. He went on to avenge that disappointment and has since adapted to the paid ranks.
The 30-year-old Ramirez, born in Cuba and now fighting out of Las Vegas, outpointed Isaac Dogboe for the vacant WBO title in April 2023 and made one successful defense before running into Espinoza last year. Ramirez’s last fight was in June, when he stopped the 21-2 Brandon Leon Benitez in seven rounds.
Ramirez of course doesn’t want to lose Saturday — and it also matters how one loses — but he could still fare fine if Espinoza wins again and then moves on to 130. That would leave the belt vacant, and Ramirez could work his way into another title shot.
But if Ramirez wins on Saturday? Well, maybe we could get a trilogy. Or maybe Espinoza would move up in weight anyway, which means Ramirez could instead look toward future dates with featherweight contenders Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Arnold Khegai, both of whom are also promoted by Top Rank. So is IBF titleholder Angelo Leo.
As for the rest of the undercard, a number of Top Rank prospects are scheduled to perform, including junior welterweight Lindolfo Delgado (21-0, 15 KOs) vs. Jackson Marinez (22-3, 10 KOs); and heavyweight Richard Torrez Jnr (11-0, 10 KOs) vs. Isaac Munoz Gutierrez (18-1-1, 15 KOs).
More Fights to Watch
Thursday, December 5: Jordan Panthen vs. Sergio Nahuel Lopez (TrillerTV.com)
The broadcast begins at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (3 a.m. GMT).
Panthen (9-0, 8 KOs) is a junior middleweight/middleweight prospect who will headline this show at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. The 28-year-old, who lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, is coming off a three-round win over the 8-2-1 Victor Toney in June.
Lopez (14-6, 10 KOs) is a 33-year-old from Argentina. He was put away in 123 seconds by the 13-1 David Stevens in June. Lopez’s past two appearances were at super middleweight, but he has competed at 154 and 160 before. This bout is scheduled to take place at middleweight.
Saturday, December 7: Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight GMT).
Paro (25-0, 15 KOs) is making the first defense of the IBF junior welterweight title he won in June, when he ruined Subriel Matias’ homecoming in Puerto Rico with a unanimous decision victory.
Paro, a 28-year-old from Brisbane, Australia, developed in his home country before stepping up and traveling away for three of his past four appearances. In addition to this win over Matias, Paro flew to Florida in 2021 to win a split decision over the previously undefeated Yomar Alamo, and he came to San Francisco last year to stop the once-beaten Montana Love.
Now Paro is doing it again, returning to Puerto Rico for this main event at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.
His opponent is Hitchins (18-0, 7 KOs), a 27-year-old from New York City. Remember the aforementioned Alamo? Hitchins faced him 11 months later, stopping him in eight rounds in November 2022. Hitchins then outpointed the 17-0 John Bauza in February 2023 and Jose Zepeda in September 2023. In Hitchins’ last outing, he had a tough go of it in an elimination bout with Gustavo Lemos in April but was awarded the decision victory, therefore landing this title shot.
If Paro wins this fight, don’t be surprised to see him take a victory lap in Australia and perhaps head toward a fight with countryman George Kambosos Jnr. Hitchins, like Paro and Kambosos, is part of the Matchroom Boxing stable. Maybe he would also go overseas for Kambosos if that is the most lucrative option, or perhaps he will aim to stay closer to home and face one of the many names at 140.
Saturday, December 7: Ryan Rozicki vs. Yamil Alberto Peralta II (ViewStub.com)
The broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (11:30 p.m. GMT).
Rozicki and Peralta have fought once before, back in 2022, with Rozicki taking a controversial split decision. This rematch will not only settle the score, but will be for the WBC’s interim cruiserweight title. Rozicki was supposed to challenge the full titleholder, Noel Mikaeljan, but Mikaeljan pulled out. So in stepped Peralta for this main event at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) was born in that city and now lives in Hamilton, Ontario. His lone loss came in a bridgerweight title fight in October 2021, when he dropped a decision to Oscar Rivas. Rozicki is on a seven-fight winning streak but hasn’t fought in a year, dating back to his 107-second win over Olanrewaju Durodola in December 2023.
Peralta (17-1, 9 KOs) is a 33-year-old from Del Viso, Argentina, outside of the city of Buenos Aires. He’s won four in a row since that defeat to Rozicki, including a split decision over Thabiso Mchunu in March.
Saturday, December 7: Brad Pauls vs. Denzel Bentley (TNT Sports 2)
The broadcast begins at 6 p.m. GMT.
Pauls and Bentley are ranked first and second at middleweight by the WBO, so the winner of this fight could get a shot at unified IBF/WBO titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly. That would be a first for Pauls and a rematch for Bentley.
Pauls (19-1-1, 11 KOs) is a 31-year-old from Epping, England. That loss came via decision to Tyler Denny in February 2023. He’s gone 3-0-1 since, with a draw against Nathan Heaney in March followed by a 12th-round TKO of Heaney in their July rematch.
Bentley (20-3-1, 17 KOs) is a 29-year-old from London who lost a unanimous decision to Alimkhanuly in November 2022. Bentley then knocked Kieran Smith out in 45 seconds in April 2023 but was upset via majority decision by Heaney in November 2023. This year, Bentley has scored a pair of second-round TKOs, beating the 16-1-1 Danny Dignum in May and the 13-1 Derrick Osaze in August.
The undercard at OVO Arena Wembley in London includes lightweight prospect Sam Noakes (15-0, 14 KOs) vs. Ryan Walsh (29-4-2, 13 KOs), as well as former cruiserweight titleholder Lawrence Okolie (20-1, 15 KOs), who is now campaigning at heavyweight and will face Hussein Muhamed (18-1, 14 KOs).
Saturday, December 7: Mahmoud “Manuel” Charr vs. Kubrat Pulev (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. GMT).
Somehow, in a time where Mike Tyson (58) and Oliver McCall (59) have both stepped into the ring, a fight between the 40-year-old Charr and the 43-year-old Pulev doesn’t seem all that bad. Even if Charr vs. Pulev is somehow for the WBA’s “regular” heavyweight title, silliness that our BoxingScene colleague Matt Christie chronicled well last week.
Sadly, that means this fight somewhat matters, as the winner will be mandatory contender to whomever triumphs in this month’s Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury rematch.
Charr (34-4, 20 KOs) was born in Syria, is a German citizen and lives now in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He first (and last) fought for a major world heavyweight title in 2012, when Vitali Klitschko stopped Charr in the fourth round due to a bad cut. The three defeats since came against Alexander Povetkin (KO7 in 2014), Johann Duhaupas (MD10 in 2015) and Mairis Briedis (KO5 in 2015).
Charr has won six fights in a row, though there have also been extended periods of inactivity: three and a half years between a November 2017 decision over Aleksandr Ustinov and a May 2021 clobbering of Christopher Lovejoy, and nearly two years between a December 2022 stoppage of Nuri Seferi and this fight with Pulev.
Pulev (31-3, 14 KOs) is from Sofia, Bulgaria, and this fight is being held at the Arena Sofia. He was once a legitimate contender but fell short at the top, taken out by Wladimir Klitschko in five rounds in 2014. Several more victories landed Pulev a shot at Anthony Joshua in 2020; Joshua put Pulev away in nine. Then, in July 2022, Pulev suffered a bigger setback when he lost a split decision in his rematch with Derek Chisora.
Pulev has picked up two wins since, outpointing the 34-2 Andrzej Wawrzyk in December 2023 and the 11-1 Ihor Shevadzutskyi in March.
Saturday, December 7: Ben Crocker vs. Stelios Papadopoulos (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. GMT).
This is an immediate rematch of an April fight between these two previously unbeaten junior welterweights, when Crocker won a razor-thin decision on the referee’s sole scorecard.
That brought Crocker, a 30-year-old from Swansea, Wales, to 13-0 (2 KOs). As for Papadopoulos, a 31-year-old Greek now living in Los Angeles, he is now 15-1-2 (5 KOs).
This rematch, like their first fight, will be held at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England.
Saturday, December 7: Danny Quartermaine vs Jack Bateson (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. GMT).
Quartermaine (12-0, 4 KOs) is a 27-year-old junior lightweight from Warwick, England. This will be his third fight of 2024. He triumphed by fourth-round TKO over the 17-6-2 Alex Rat in March and outpointed the 20-4 James Chereji in June.
Bateson (20-1, 6 KOs) is a 30-year-old from Leeds, England. His lone defeat came in November 2022 against Shabaz Masoud, who dropped and stopped Bateson in the 12th and final round. Bateson has bounced back with three victories, stopping the 14-20 Ruslan Berchuk in five rounds in November 2023, taking a points win over the 8-18-2 Darwing Martinez in March and stopping the 16-4-1 Rakesh Lohchab in four rounds in September.
This fight will take place at the Park Community Arena in Sheffield, England.
Saturday, December 7: Dylan Moran vs. Tyrone McKenna (ProBoxTV.com)
The broadcast begins at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (8:30 p.m. GMT).
The main event at the SETU Arena in Waterford, Ireland, features a welterweight bout between Moran and McKenna.
Moran (19-2, 9 KOs) is a 29-year-old who was born in Waterford and now lives about 40 minutes away. He was taken out in two rounds by the 12-0-1 Florian Marku in September 2023 but returned in August with a 19-second TKO of Owen O’Neill, whose 13-0 (1 KO) record at the time was very much inflated against subpar opposition and clearly didn’t hold up against Moran.
McKenna (23-5-1, 6 KOs) is a 34-year-old from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He’s lost two in a row, three of his last four, and four of his last six. He dropped a majority decision to Ohara Davies in 2020, was stopped in six by Regis Prograis in 2022, outpointed by Lewis Crocker in 2023 and finished in five by Mohamed Mimoune in August. McKenna has spent most of his career around junior welterweight but, at 6-foot-1, stands two inches taller than Moran.
(Note: BoxingScene.com is owned by ProBox.)
Saturday, December 7: Isaiah Johnson vs. Kevin Johnson (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight GMT).
This fight between Johnson and Johnson is the main event at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Isaiah, a 22-year-old junior welterweight from the Philly region, is 10-0 (7 KOs). In August, he won an eight-round shutout over the 9-12-3 Andrew Rodgers.
Kevin, a 32-year-old fighting out of Las Vegas, is 12-4 (8 KOs) and coming off back-to-back losses against Cristian Baez (UD10 in December 2022) and Kelvin Davis (MD8 in July 2024).
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
Read the full article here
