Emanuel Navarrete faces Oscar Valdez while Rafael Espinoza defends his crown against Robeisy Ramirez | Boxing News
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Three-division world champion Emanuel Navarrete defends his WBO junior lightweight world title against Oscar Valdez in an all-Mexican main event on Saturday December 7 in Phoenix, Arizona – live on Sky Sports.
Also on the bill, WBO featherweight world champion Rafael Espinoza puts his crown on the line against Cuban star Robeisy Ramirez, the man he dethroned to win the title last December.
Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) has defended this crown twice, including a decision win over Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) in their first clash in August 2023.
Navarrete’s bid to become only the sixth Mexican to be a four-division champion fell short in May, as he dropped a decision to Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight championship.
Valdez endured his first pro defeat in a high-stakes unification tilt against Shakur Stevenson in April 2022.
The 33-year-old bounced back with a decision win over Adam Lopez in May 2023 before the Navarrete encounter.
In March, Valdez captured the interim WBO junior lightweight title with a seventh-round TKO of Liam Wilson.
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Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) recovered from a fifth-round knockdown to put Ramirez on the canvas in the pivotal 12th round with ‘El Divino’ prevailing by majority decision.
Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs), a two-time Olympic gold medallist, made one defence of the WBO title he won via unanimous decision over Isaac Dogboe in April 2023.
“Our first fight was extremely close, action-packed, and regarded by many as ‘Fight of the Year’,” Ramirez said.
“Since the cards were read, my team and I have been asking for the rematch. On December 7, I’m coming to erase any doubts. I will reclaim my title.”
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