By Ken Hissner: At the Diamond Desert Arena, Glendale, Arizona, Friday over ESPN and ESPN+ promoter Bob Arum (Top Rank Boxing) presented in the Main Event 2-Division world champion and current WBO World Featherweight champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and WBO International Super Featherweight champion taking a third world title after coming off the canvas in the fourth round to stop Liam Wilson in the ninth round after scoring a knockdown for the vacant WBO World Super Featherweight championship.
In the Main Event, former 2-time world champ and current WBO World Feather champ Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarette, 37-1 (31), #129.2, of San Juan Zitlaltepec, MEX, WBO Int’l Super Feather champ Liam “Mr. Damage” Wilson, 11-2 (7), #126.3, of Queensland, AUST, at 1:57 of the ninth round of a scheduled 12 rounds, for the vacant WBO world super featherweight title and his third world title.
In the first round, Navarette had his way looking for a third world title while Wilson for his first. In the second round, Wilson turned southpaw until the final minute of the round.
In the fourth round, Wilson hurt Navarette with a left hook to the chin and followed, landing a right on the chin in the final thirty seconds, dropping Navarette.
Referee Chris Flores gave him an 8-count and then at least another ten or more seconds, allowing him to re-coup along with putting in his mouthpiece, helping him to get to the bell.
In the fifth round, Navarette came back well, taking the round from Wilson, who tried to finish the stronger, landing a right on the chin at the bell.
In the sixth round, Wilson does well only when he is coming forward. In the final minute, turning southpaw after taking too many punches, Wilson hurt Navarrette with a right hook to the chin in the final seconds.
In the seventh round’s final seconds, Navarrete drew blood from the nose of Wilson, having him hurt with a flurry of punches driving him to the ropes.
In the eighth round, Navarrete continued to outland Wilson driving him around the ring with only a few rights being countered.
In the ninth round, Navarrete landed punch after punch until a right on the chin dropped Wilson for an 8-count from referee Flores. The beating continued until the referee had no choice but to stop the defenseless Wilson. Wilson had nothing to be ashamed of in a gallant effort to win the title.
In the co-main event, WBO No. 5 ranked and WBO Inter-Continental Super Light champ Arnold Barboza, Jr., 28-0 (10), #139.2, of San Montes, CA, defeated former 2-division world champ Jose “Sniper” Pedraza, 29-5-1 (14), #138.7, of Cidra, PR, over ten hard fought rounds.
In the first three rounds, Pedraza kept coming forward as the counter-punching Barbosa continued to be more active, especially with his jab. In the fourth round, Barbosa continues to land a flurry of punches to the chin of Pedraza, who has no answer for to prevent it.
In the fifth round, Pedraza turned to southpaw, landing his best punch a right to the chin at the bell. In the seventh round, Pedraza continues to walk into the counter punches of Barbosa.
In the ninth round, the referee, Wes Melton warned Pedraza for low blows. He just can’t outland Barbosa. In the tenth and final round, Pedraza came out, landing four punches to the head of Barbosa, knowing he needed a knockout to pull it out. In the final minute, a cut was opened over the right eye of Pedraza by Barbosa.
The scores were 97-93, 96-94, and 97-93 from this writer.
Super Feather Andres “Savage” Cortes, 19-0 (10), #131.2, of Las Vegas, NV, defeated Luis “Choo Choo” Melendez, 17-3 (13), #130.6, of Puerto Rico, over 10 lackluster rounds.
In the first three rounds, Cortes was out-landing the slower Melendez. In the fourth round, things started to heat up, with both landing out of a clinch. In the fifth round, Cortes went to the body bringing down the guard of Melendez.
In the final minute of the sixth round, due to a clash of heads, Melendez was cut under the left eye on the cheekbone. Cortes was cut on the left eyelid, which was checked between rounds by the ring physician. In the seventh round, Melendez went into survival mode, looking to go the distance.
In the ninth round’s final half a minute Cortes had Melendez against the ropes trying to stop him to no avail as Melendez would pull him into a clinch. In the tenth and final round, it got ugly as Melendez did more holding than fighting. “Stitch” Duran as cut-man for Cortes kept him in the fight for the last half of it, keeping the cut from getting any worse. Referee Tony Zaino.
All scores were 100-90, which I agree with.
2016 Olympian Super Light Lindolfo Delgado, 17-0 (13), #142.1, of Linares, MEX, scored a knockdown and won a lopsided but competitive Clarence “Mr. St. Pete” Booth, 21-7 (13), #142.4, of St. Petersburg, FL, over eight rounds.
In the first round, both had their moments, with Booth having an edge. From the second through the fourth rounds, Delgado showed his power and an effective jab. In the fifth round final minute, Delgado twice rocked Booth, once to the chin and then to the body in the final seconds.
In the sixth round, Delgado landed several 3-punch combinations, first to the body and then to the head. In the eighth and final round, Delgado, after twenty seconds, landed a counter with a jab and a right on top of the head, dropping Booth for an 8-count from referee Wes Meldon. Booth managed to get to the bell but barely.
The scores were 80-71 and 79-72 twice, along with this writer.
2021 Olympian Heavyweight southpaw Richard Torrez, Jr., 5-0 (5), #222.2, of Tulane, CA, stopped James Bryant, 6-3 (4), #253.4, of Pittsburgh, PA, who couldn’t come out for the second round due to injured ankle after a knockdown of a scheduled six rounds.
In the first round final minute, Torrez drew blood from the nose of Bryant. Torrez was stepping back when Bryant walked into a left uppercut on the chin from Torrez, driving him into the lower ropes and down for an 8-count from Referee Mark Calo oy just prior to the bell. The 37-year-old Bryant couldn’t come out due to an ankle injury. Bryant, a former football player, fought like one.
Middleweight “The Legend Lives On” Nico Ali Walsh, 8-0 (5), #159.8, of Las Vegas, NV, scored a knockdown in defeating Eduardo “El Chee Chee” Ayala, 9-3-1 (3), #160.9, of Phoenix, AZ, over six solid rounds.
In the second round, after a minute, Walsh landed a lead right on the chin of Ayala, dropping him for an 8-count from Referee Mark Calo oy. Though warned for holding several times, Ayala landed several overhand rights but not with the power he had in the earlier round.
In the fourth round, Ayala did all he could to hang in there as Walsh was the quicker of the two, out-landing Ayala.
In the fifth round, Walsh continued outworking Ayala but couldn’t put him away. At the end of the round, Ayala thought the fight was over. In the sixth and final round, Walsh tried hard to end it while there was no quit in Ayala. Walsh went to the body for the most part.
The scores were 60-53, 59-54 twice, and 59-53 this writer. Walsh is the grandson of Muhammad Ali.
Lightweight Emiliano “El General” Vargas, 3-0 (2), #133.4, of Las Vegas, NV, defeated southpaw Francisco Duque, 1-2 (0), #135.4, of Guadalupe, MEX, over four shutout rounds.
In the first round, Vargas was the aggressor up until the last thirty seconds of the round when Duque had him against the ropes. In the second round, Duque came right out, landing a left on the chin of Vargas. Vargas worked the body well, taking another round.
In the third round, it got competitive with a minute remaining. Vargas switched to southpaw for half a minute against southpaw Duque taking another round. In the fourth and final round, after a minute from southpaw, Vargas landed a left to the body, stunning Duque. Then Vargas switched immediately back to orthodox. In the final seconds, both had their moments and another round for Vargas, who continued out landing Duque throughout. Referee Chris Flores.
The scores were 40-36 by all judges and this writer.
