It took some time for Emanuel Navarrete to warm up. But when he did, that was all he wrote. Navarrete defended his WBO featherweight world title with a sixth-round stoppage over Eduardo Baez on Saturday evening at Pechanga Arena.
Baez (21-3-2, 7 KOs), from Mexicali, Mexico, appeared on his way to a shocking upset until a body shot floored him for the count.
Navarrete (36-1, 30 KOs) was trailing on two of the three judges’ cards (50-45 and 48-47) at the time of the stoppage, while one card had Navarrete ahead 49-46.
Navarrete had not fought for more than 10 months, his longest layoff since winning his first world title in December 2018. The rust came off in a flash in the sixth round, and now Navarrete can look ahead to future title defenses at featherweight or perhaps a move up to junior lightweight.
“I expected a fight like this. I never underestimated Eduardo Baez. I knew that he was an excellent fighter and the fact that he hit pretty hard. It was a lot more complicated than I anticipated. But then came that shot, and I was able to finish him,” Navarrete said.
“That’s a very Mexican punch. It comes with my blood. And you can see, I don’t throw a perfect left hook like you’re used to seeing. But this one came out perfect for me. And you saw the result because not many guys can take that shot.”
Top Rank