Emanuel Navarrete successfully defended his WBO super-featherweight title against Charly Suarez, securing a unanimous technical decision victory.
During the sixth round, Navarrete suffered a severe cut above his left eyebrow. The referee determined the injury resulted from a head collision.
The California State Athletic Commission officially ruled the cut was due to an accidental headbutt, despite Suarez, a 36-year-old Filipino soldier, landing a left hand very close to the same time.
The ringside doctor stopped the contest before the eighth round could begin, leading to the judges` scorecards being tallied.
This resulted in the Mexican champion, whose record improved to 40-2-1 (32 KOs), winning the fight with scores of 78-75 and two cards of 77-76.
Afterward, Navarrete stated in the ring, “I knew it was a headbutt. It split my eyebrow completely.” He added about Suarez, “He`s probably one of the top three fighters I`ve ever fought. He took the best out of me.”
Navarrete is a multi-division world champion, having held titles at super-bantamweight, featherweight, and currently super-featherweight. His attempt to move up to lightweight was unsuccessful last year, resulting in a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk for the WBO title at 135lbs.
Suarez, whose record is now 18-1 (10 KOs), immediately called for a rematch.
Reflecting on fighting through the pain of the cut, Navarrete attributed his performance to a “warrior spirit,” stating, “I felt good, strong, complete.” He admitted, “The cut hurt. But while we were fighting, I felt good,” despite needing to repeatedly clear blood from his eye.
Murray Blackwood