A pair of world title rematches are set for December 7 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
Emanuel Navarrete will try to end a two-fight winless streak when he faces the last man he had beaten, Oscar Valdez, in the third defense of his WBO junior lightweight title, while Rafael Espinoza will defend his WBO featherweight title against the person he lifted it from last December, Robeisy Ramirez.
The Top Rank promoted card will air live on ESPN in the United States, with the broadcast slated to start at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) is looking to return to winning ways after losing a split decision in May to Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title, and drawing with Robson Conceicao in the fight before that. The 29-year-old Navarrete defeated Valdez by unanimous decision in their first fight, closing Valdez’s right eye to win 11 and 10 rounds on two of the cards.
Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) earned the rematch when he won the interim WBO 130-pound title with a seventh round knockout of Liam Wilson, who had previously given Navarrete one of his toughest tests.
“The fans will see the same ‘Vaquero’ as always. We’re working hard to regain the aggressiveness that defines me and give all the fans the intense fight they want to see on December 7. I still have a lot to do and big goals to accomplish in boxing, including unifying my title and possibly moving back up to 135 pounds,” Navarrete said.
Valdez will once again have home field advantage, having been born in Nogales, Mexico but lived for much of his childhood in Arizona. Their first fight also took place in Arizona, just a few miles down the road in Glendale.
“Although we lost the first fight, we stayed disciplined and focused on returning stronger,” Valdez said. “I know it’s a tough challenge, but not impossible. With that in mind, we returned to the gym and studied what we did wrong in the first fight to avoid making the same mistakes. I’m excited and confident that we will be victorious this time.”
While Navarrete-Valdez I had a more conclusive outcome, the first iteration of the co-featured matchup left plenty of unfinished business.
Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) derailed “El Tren” Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) when he won a majority decision last December, rising off the canvas in the fifth round to score a knockdown of his own in the twelfth. The fight was named Upset of the Year for 2023 by The Ring.
Since then, Espinoza has defended the title once, stopping Sergio Chirino in four rounds in June, while Ramirez, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, rebounded with a seventh round stoppage of Brandon Benitez in June.
“I know the fans, just like me, have been looking forward to this fight. It’s a fight that I wanted. I’m very motivated and happy, and I’m training at 100 percent. This night of rematches will be great for Mexico, and I’m ready to give it my all, just like I always do,” said Espinoza.
“Since the cards were read, my team and I have been asking for the rematch. On December 7, I’m coming to erase any doubts. I will reclaim my title,” said Ramirez.
The undercard, which will stream live on ESPN+, will feature Lindolfo Delgada (21-0, 15 KOs) against Jackson Marinez (22-3, 10 KOs) in a ten-round junior welterweight bout, plus Emiliano Vargas (12-0, 10 KOs) against Alan Ayala (11-4, 7 KOs) in an eight round junior welterweight bout and Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (11-0, 10 KOs) in an eight round heavyweight fight against an opponent to be named.
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