Emanuel Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) and Oscar Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) are ready for an all-Mexican duel. (photos by Mikey Williams.
Navarrete will put his WBO junior lightweight world title on the line against former two-division world champion Valdez this Saturday, August 12, at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
In the 10-round junior welterweight co-feature, rising contender Lindolfo Delgado (17-0, 13 KOs) will square off against Jair Valtierra (16-2, 8 KOs). U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (5-0, 5 KOs) will open the televised tripleheader in a six-round heavyweight tilt against Willie Jake Jr. (11-3-2, 3 KOs).
Navarrete-Valdez, Delgado-Valtierra, and Torrez-Jake will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
The ESPN+-streamed undercard (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) will feature the returns of unbeaten lightweight phenom Emiliano Fernando Vargas and heavyweight southpaw Antonio “El Gigante” Mireles.
Vargas (5-0, 6 KOs) will fight Mexico’s Jorge Luis Marquez Alvarado (3-5-1 2 KOs) in a four-rounder. Mireles will take on hard-hitting Ohio native Dajuan Calloway (7-2, 7 KOs) in a six-rounder.
In a six-round middleweight battle between two of Phoenix’s crowd favorites, Sergio Rodriguez (7-0-1, 6 KOs) and Eduardo Ayala (9-3-1, 3 KOs) will clash for intra-city bragging rights. Rising junior welterweight prospect Ricardo Ruvalcaba (9-0-1, 8 KOs) will make his fourth appearance of 2023 in a six-rounder against Adrian Orban (6-3, 4 KOs).
At Thursday’s press conference, Navarrete and Valdez were joined by Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. The Mexican legends will present the winner of Navarrete-Valdez with a commemorative jacket designed by Tijuana-born fashion designer Kiko Baez.
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