The vacant WBO super-featherweight title is on the line on Friday night when former two-weight world champion Emanuel Navarrete takes on Australia’s Liam Wilson in Arizona.
Sandwiched between Anthony Yarde and Artur Beterbiev’s Fight of the Year contender last weekend, and Amanda Serrano’s potentially historic showdown at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, this world title clash has gone completely under the radar; a crying shame as Navarrete is a genuinely world class operator and his fights are seldom dull.
There’s plenty of action on the undercard too, with a tasty super-lightweight showdown between Jose Pedraza and Arnold Barboza Jr providing support, as well as the returns of Nico Ali Walsh, middleweight grandson of the great Muhammad Ali, and Tokyo 2020 heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr.
Here’s everything you need to know from a top night of boxing in the Grand Canyon State.
Where: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona, USA
When: Friday 3rd February, 2023
How To Watch: Sky Sports. The card is set to get underway at 2am (GMT) with ringwalks for the main event expected at 5am.
Tale Of The Tape:
Navarrete
Place Of Birth: San Juan Zitlaltepec, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Residence: San Juan Zitlaltepec, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Age: 28
Alias: Vaquero
Record: 36-1 (30)
Height: 5’7’’
Reach: 72’’
Stance: Orthodox
Last Fight: ‘Vaquero’ recorded his 30th career win inside the distance by stopping Eduardo Baez in the sixth round of their August 2022 encounter in San Diego.
Wilson
Place Of Birth: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia
Residence: Caboolture, Queensland, Australia
Age: 26
Alias: N/A
Record: 11-1 (7)
Height: 5’9½’’
Reach: 70’’
Stance: Orthodox
Last Fight: Wilson last fought in June last year, earning a unanimous decision on the scorecards against Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda in Brisbane.
Full Fight Card:
Emanuel Navarrete vs Liam Wilson, vacant WBO super featherweight title
Jose Pedraza vs Arnold Barboza Jr, super lightweight
Andres Cortes vs Luis Melendez, super featherweight
Nico Ali Walsh vs. Eduardo Ayala, middleweight
Lindolfo Delgado vs Clarence Booth, super lightweight
Xavier Martinez vs Yohan Vasquez, super featherweight
Richard Torrez Jr. vs James Bryant, heavyweight
Emiliano Vargas vs Francisco Duque, lightweight
Betfred Odds*:
Navarrete: 1/14
Wilson: 9/1
Draw: 20/1
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
