Navarrete vs Nunez for the WBO/IBF unification title

 

Emmanuel Navarrete is a fighter I've covered before on my analyzingboxing.com website. To my surprise, Emmanuel Navarrete is the underdog in his fight against Eduardo Nunez for the WBO/IBF Junior Lightweight title. In his previous fight, Emmanuel Navarrete defeated Charly Suarez through a technical decision following an accidental head-butt, but it was later changed to a no-contest; the rules dictate that if a fighter is unable to continue, the result is recorded on the scorecard. The California commission decided to overturn the decision to a no contest instead of declaring a Suarez victory, which could be viewed as unfair, even though a punch caused the cut on Navarrete’s eye. This is very rare even in boxing.

Despite the disappointment of a no contest, Navarrete earns another chance to prove himself against a fellow champion, Eduardo Nunez.

Eduardo Nunez, not to be confused with the baseball player with the same name, is a Mexican fighter and the reigning super featherweight, or junior lightweight, world champion with a record of 29-1, having lost only once to a fighter named Hiram Gallardo back on June 29th, 2018. With a 93% knockout ratio, it would be ideal to predict a knockout win for him against the elusive Emmanuel Navarrete, who himself has an impressive knockout ratio of 82%. Now that's impressive considering he has had more fights than Eduardo Nunez.

Nunez is a high-pressure fighter who doesn't let his opponents take any breathing room, starting rather quickly rather than slowly compared to Emmanuel Navarrete, who needs a couple of rounds to heat up. Navarrete is the underdog because he hasn't looked quite as impressive as of late. In contrast, Eduardo Nunez has looked spectacular.

But let's not overlook the fact that Emmanuel Navarrete is a good champion and, most importantly, has heart, able to compete even when struggling, as shown in his fights against Denys Berinchyk and Charly Suarez. He is the type of fighter that Eduardo Nunez will struggle against because of Nunez's apparent weaknesses in defense and stamina. Emmanuel Navarrete is the more seasoned veteran—well, not by much, but he is conditioned to adjust in big fights. 

While Nunez has stamina problems, Emmanuel Navarrete doesn't have that problem. Add that to his ability to adjust to different styles of his opponents and his ability to read his opponents while sometimes carelessly taking some punishments of his own in order to land his own punches, and it will surely aid him to an upset victory. With a fighter like him, you simply cannot underestimate him, even if it looks like he's on the decline. Quite frankly, overall, if you really think about it, because of his experience, durability, stamina, and adaptability, he should be the favorite in this fight. This is why it seems a bit surprising to me that he is considered the underdog by many experts, who predict a clear victory for Nunez.

This fight, though it might end with a knockout, would be very difficult for me to pick against Navarrete despite his recent struggles; therefore, I would have to lean towards a victory for Navarrete. Navarrete by unanimous decision. Both champions, upon entering the ring, only one will walk out with two world titles.

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