In a predictable outcome, WBO super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) made short work of challenger Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs), knocking him out with a powerful body shot in the sixth round in the main event of their rematch on Saturday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Valdez, 33, was out of his depth from round one, getting knocked down with a left hand to the top of his head in the final seconds. The one-sided beatdown continued in the fourth, with Navarrete unloading with a barrage of punches that sent Valdez down near the end of the round. Valdez protested the Knockdown, but the referee wasn’t buying it. The replays showed that he’d gone down from a punch after being stunned by a hard shot moments before by Navarrete.
In the last 30 seconds of the fifth round, Navarrete connected with a tremendous Left Hook that sent Valdez’s mouthpiece flying into the crowd.
Valdez went for broke at the start of the sixth, attacking Navarrete in a reckless manner, not taking showing any caution. Navarrete took advantage of Valdez’s aggression to drop him with a perfectly placed left to the body. Valdez was too hurt to beat the count and fight was stopped at 2:42 of the sixth.
Navarrete looked considerably bigger than Valdez tonight, appearing to be at least 10 lbs heavier and appeared fat around the midsection. Valdez should have boxed Navarrete as his last two opponents, Denys Berinchyk and Robson Conceicao, did. He would have had a better chance going for a knockout late than attacking while he was still fresh in the sixth.
Rafael Espinoza Stops Robeisy Ramirez
In the co-feature, WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) knocked out Robeisy Ramirez (14-3, 9 KOs) in the sixth round of their rematch. Robeisy quit in the sixth after being hit on his right eye from a right hand by the 6’1″ Espinoza.
Immediately after being hit, Robeisy waved his left hand in the eye, signaling to the referee that he didn’t wish to continue. The time of the stoppage was at 0:12 of round six. He said he had double vision and had been elbowed by Espinoza two rounds earlier in the fourth. Replays showed that Ramirez had been elbowed, but it didn’t look bad. There was no swelling on his right eye until the sixth round, when he quit after being hit by a right from Espinoza.
Robeisy’s right eye swelled quickly during the post-fight interview inside the ring.
