Emmanuel Navarrete and Charly Suarez headline at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego this Saturday evening, with the former’s WBO super featherweight title on the line.
Bob Arum and Top Rank promote Navarrete vs Suarez, and ESPN+ televise in the USA. Sky Sports broadcast in the UK.
Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) has served as WBO champion from super bantamweight to super featherweight, but his form in the last couple of years has proven to be patchy.
The Mexican outscored Oscar Valdez in August 2023, but was then held to a draw by Robson Conceicao three months later, and May last year saw a failed bid for the WBO lightweight crown when Denys Berinchyk took a split decision in their meeting in the same arena that Navarrete will meet Suarez.
Navarrete was last out in December 2024, knocking out Valdez in six rounds of their rematch in Phoenix. Filipino Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) comes next for Navarrete, and he is ranked number one by the WBO, despite limited experience at anything near world level.
Since winning an eliminator in 2023, Suarez has banked three wins, the last a third round stoppage of Jorge Castaneda in Glendale last September.
Prediction: Suarez has never tasted a level like this, and it’s a big ask for him to take the title home. I think Navarrete will retain with a stoppage win in the later rounds.
Muratalla and Abdullaev battle for interim honours
The second world title fight comes at lightweight, where the interim IBF world title is at stake between Raymond Muratalla (22-0 17 KOs) and Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs). Vasyl Lomachenko is the full champion, so these two combatants will wait in the wings to face the Ukrainian or be upgraded to full champion.
Muratalla is a Top Rank regular, and impressed in stopping Jeremia Nakathila in two rounds in May 2023, and fought three times in 2024, including a points win over former world champion Tevin Farmer last July.
MURATALLA IN THE FINAL ROUND 🎯 pic.twitter.com/8YwtrJ5lEc
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 14, 2024
The Californian last entered the ring in November 2024, stopping Jesus Antonio Perez Campos in two rounds. Abdullaev is best known for a losing effort against Devin Haney in 2019, where he retired after four rounds but the Russian has won nine straight since, the last a final round stoppage of Juan Javier Carrasco in Argentina last October.
Prediction: Muratalla is an impressive prospect, and he can move closer to world honours with a points win in this one.
Undercard preview
In ten round attractions on the card, super featherweight contender Andres Cortes (22-0, 12 KOs) should remain unbeaten with a points win against Rafael Salvador Jiminez (14-1-1, 6 KOs), and at welterweight Giovani Santilan (33-1, 18 KOs) looks to get back into contention, and he can stop Angel Beltran Villa (18-2, 11 KOs) in their contest.
Unbeaten featherweight Albert Gonzalez (13-0, 7 KOs) should get the job done inside schedule against Jose Ivan Guardado Ortiz (16-3-1, 6 KOs).
In eight rounders, Sebastian Hernandez Reyes (19-0, 18 KOs) can take a points win against former world title challenger Azat Hovhannisyan (21-5, 17 KOs) at super bantamweight, and Alan Garcia (15-1, 11 KOs) should outscore Cristian Medina Garcia (8-2-1, 5 KOs) in their lightweight clash.
Alan Garcia is locked in 🔐#LopezLeo | AUG 10 | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/NkJBwKq8Ug
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 17, 2024
In four round action, Samuel Contreras (1-0, KO1) can stop Dylan Cervantes Alvarado (4-5-1, 2 KOs) at super lightweight, and Perla Bazaldua (1-0, 1 KOs) should take a points win at super flyweight against Mona Ward (0-1).
