Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez are set to face off for the WBO junior lightweight title on August 12 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, according to BoxingScene.com. Although a few minor details are still being finalized, there is nothing to suggest that the event will not take place as expected. The fight will be the main event of a show that will be broadcast on an ESPN platform.
The original date for the fight, February 3, was canceled when Valdez withdrew due to a pre-existing injury. Later, Navarrete fought Australia’s Liam Wilson, winning the match to become a three-division titlist despite a fifth-round knockdown. Valdez was present at the match and confirmed that he would fight Navarrete later in the year.
Valdez, a former two-division titlist for Mexico, returned to the ring over the weekend for a ten-round junior lightweight contest against Adam Lopez at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He won the fight 98-92, 98-91, and 97-93. The fight marked Valdez’s first since a twelve-round defeat to Shakur Stevenson in their WBC/WBO unification bout last April. Stevenson would eventually win the two belts after defeating Robson Conceicao on September 23, 2021.
Navarrete, a two-division and reigning WBO featherweight titleholder, was allowed to jump the line and fight for the WBO junior lightweight title since he was the number-one contender. The WBO made the ruling at its recent 2021 annual convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Navarrete previously held the WBO junior featherweight title and relinquished his WBO featherweight title after his title win in February. Navarrete struggled to make the 130-pound limit, which prompted his decision to abandon the featherweight division. Three of Navarrete’s fights, including the upcoming match with Valdez, have taken place in Arizona.
While Navarrete is a favorite to win, Valdez may have the home field advantage since he has roots in Tucson, less than two hours from Phoenix. This fight will be Valdez’s sixth appearance in Arizona and his first time back in or near Phoenix since a pair of fights in 2014.
Valdez was cleared by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Athletic Commission after testing positive for drugs contracted by VADA earlier last summer. The commission ruled in favor of Valdez, allowing him to face Conceicao in September 2021 at Casino Del Sol in Tucson.
Valdez, who had held the WBO featherweight title for three years before moving up to the junior lightweight division in 2019, became a two-division titlist following a spectacular tenth-round knockout of Miguel Berchelt in February 2021.