WBO Jr. Featherweight champion Emanuel ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete successfully defended his title

WBO Jr. Featherweight champion Emanuel ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete 29-1 (25) successfully defended his world title with a fourth-round TKO of game but outgunned Juan Miguel Elorde 28-2 (15) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.

The fight was the main support bout to the heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Otto Wallin.

The Philippines Elorde, 32, start well and showed no fear of the big-punching Mexican champion, ripping in shots to the body in the opening round.

But Navarrete came roaring back in the second stanza, landing some hard shots on the challenger.

The left hook was the money punch for Navarrete, knocking down Elorde in round three before finishing him off in the fourth.

The time of the stoppage was 0:26.

“I’m happy because I think I put on a great performance,” said the 24-year-old Navarrete.

“Fortunately, my opponent is OK, and I came out here to put on a show. I hope the fans enjoyed it on my very first Las Vegas show on Mexican Independence Day Weekend. ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete is here to stay.

“The most important thing here was that it was a good performance for me. I think the referee did the right thing. He’s going to go home to his family, and everything is going to be OK.

“It was a good performance on my behalf and he gave what he could. At the end of the day, I came away with the hard-fought victory.”

Via https://www.ringnews24.com/2019/09/16/emanuel-navarrete-impresses-in-four-round-war-against-juan-miguel-elorde/

Photo Mikey Williams Top Rank

Emanuel Navarrete will make the third defense of this WBO junior featherweight title against Juan Miguel Elorde, grandson of the late Filipino boxing icon “Flash” Elorde. Navarrete last fought August 17, knocking out Francisco De Vaca in the third round.

Former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza will make his 140-pound debut against former world title challenger Jose Zepeda in a 10-rounder, former super flyweight world champion Carlos Cuadras will battle the upset-minded Jose Maria Cardenas, and 19-year-old lightweight sensation Gabriel Flores Jr. will face Miguel Angel Aispuro in a bout scheduled for eight or six rounds.

This is what the fighters had to say.

Bob Arum

On Navarrete

“If you’re a fighter, you want to fight as much as possible. This kid here, if he could, {if it wasn’t for} injuries and so forth, would fight eight times a year and be happy.”

Emanuel Navarrete

“I was very surprised {to get the offer to fight on short notice}, but I knew it was a great opportunity so we took it. My mentality was I had to train harder and not take a long break because we knew the opportunity that was in front of us.”

“I want to thank Bob Arum. He gave me the opportunity to fight for the title against {Isaac} Dogboe, then the rematch, then De Vaca. Now I’m here, a big card. I just want to tell {Bob}, if he lets me, I want to fight in December, too. I will give it my all and show everyone I’m doing things the right way.”

“I want to do my best at 122 {pounds}, and the biggest thing in the division is to unify titles. If my body permits it, I’m going to stay here and unify titles. But if not, I am going to move up, and I have a great career in front of me.”

Juan Miguel Elorde

“It’s a big opportunity, a great experience for me. I’d like to thank everyone for giving me this chance.”

On taking the fight on short notice

“We’re ready because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When they called, we accepted the challenge because every boxer wants to be a world champion.”

“This is my dream, to become a world champion. I think it’s coming to reality. Thank you, Mr. Bob Arum.”

Being a world champion is a dream that Emanuel Navarrete has already fulfilled. But this Saturday, he will fulfill another.

“I always wanted to fight in Las Vegas, as a world champion, on a national weekend. Thank God, I will be given this opportunity n Saturday,” Navarrete said shortly before closing his preparation in Tijuana.

The “Cowboy” Navarrete (28-1-0, 24 KOs) will defend for the third time his WBO super bantamweight world championship, against Filipino contender Juan Miguel Elorde (28-1, 15 KOs), in the fabulous T-Mobile Arena of Las Vegas.

Navarrete travels to Las Vegas motivated and with the illusion of giving the Mexican fans a great show, and of course, a memorable victory.

“I am facing a very strong opponent, from a boxing family like Elorde, and he has a lot of quality, but we have done a great preparation and we are going to bring the belt back home,” Navarrete said.

Although the show is headlined by undefeated heavyweights Tyson Fury (28-0-1, 20 KO’s) and Otto Wallin (20-0, 13 KO’s), Navarrete is aware that the Mexican fans’ eyes will be on their countrymen.

“It is a great motivation and it is very special at this time in my career that I am considered to present Mexico in showcased fight in Las Vegas, it is a dream come true,” said the boxer born in San Juan Zitlaltepec.

By Rafael Soto / BoxingScene.com

WBO junior featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete (28-1, 24 KOs) will face WBO #2 Juan Miguel Elorde (28-1, 15 KOs) September 14 on the card headlined by the heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Otto Wallin at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ESPN, which will air the card on the ESPN+ platform, made the announcement on their website.

Navarrete is returning just four weeks after stopping Francisco De Vaca in three rounds. The 32-year-old Elorde is the grandson of former legendary WBC/WBA super featherweight world champion and Boxing Hall of Famer Gabriel “Flash” Elorde.

Photo by Mikey Williams