WBO super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) defends his belt against unbeaten little known #1 ranked Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) in the 12 round main event on ESPN and ESPN+ on May 10th at the Pechanga Arena San Diego.
In the co-feature, lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) battles for the vacant IBF interim 135-lb belt against Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs).
This fight should be the main event on this card, as Muratalla is a rising star. This match-up is a lot more interesting than the headliner. Muratalla is trying to get a world title shot but has been ignored thus far by the champions.
The Muratalla vs. Abdullaev and Navarrete vs. Suarez event will be shown live on ESPN and ESPN+, starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
Also on the card is welterweight contender Giovani Santillan (33-1, 18 KOs) fighting Angel Beltran (18-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round bout. Fans know Santillan from his knockout loss to Brian Norman Jr.
Suarez, 36, is from the Philippines and competed in 2016 but lost to Joe Cordina. As a pro, Suarez has beaten one notable fighter, Yohan Vasquez, by a ten-round decision in 2023. Vasquez dropped Abdullah Mason twice in their exciting battle on November 8th last year. Unfortunately, Suarez doesn’t fight like Mason. He’s a boxer and will be trying to outbox Navarrete.
It’s hard to predict how Navarrete, 30, will look in this fight because he was schooled by Denys Berinchyk last year, losing a 12-round split decision on May 18th in a fight that appeared to be a shutout for the Ukrainian.
Navarrete looked chubby and 100% clueless in that fight. He’d also performed poorly in his clash against Robson Conceicao but was given a controversial 12-round draw in their fight on November 16, 2023.
Navarrete bounced back from his loss to Berinchyk to stop the past his best Oscar Valdez in the sixth round on December 7th last year in what many boxing fans viewed as a pointless business-level rematch. Emanuel had already easily beaten Valdez by a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision in their first fight on August 12, 2023, and there was no point at all, other than for money purposes, for the two to fight a rematch in 2024.
“San Diego is an incredible fight town, and we are thrilled to return with Emanuel Navarrete, who will go down as one of the great Mexican champions of his era,” said promoter Bob Arum. “Charly Suarez is a determined, unbeaten contender who will have everyone in the Philippines cheering him on. Raymond Muratalla is an elite lightweight but has a tall task against Abdullaev, who has been on a tremendous run for several years.”
Last Updated on 03/25/2025
