Emanuel Navarrete wins WBO belt amidst controversy

WBO featherweight champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete battled against the Australian Liam Wilson before winning a ninth-round technical knockout on Friday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, USA, to claim the vacant WBO junior lightweight belt.

Wilson an 18:1 outsider going into the ring scored a knockdown with a combination of rights and a left hook in the fourth round, but Navarrette beat the count as he staggered around the ring.

The Australian’s team claimed that Navarrete had been given a “20-second count”.

COMEBACK COMPLETE ??????

Emanuel Navarrete battles back after being dropped early to get the TKO win. #NavarreteWilson pic.twitter.com/h2Ri1sTNpn

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) February 4, 2023

The Mexican, was very slow getting back onto his feet and it appeared as if he had deliberately spat out his mouthpiece to help him recover.

Navarrete managed to get back into the fight but was hurt again in the sixth round.

However, Navarette recovered to score with combinations in rounds seven and eight.

In round nine Wilson was knocked down as the referee stepped in to stop the fight at 1:57 into the round.

The now three-division champion improved his record 37-1; 30 and Wilson’s record dropped 11-2; 7.

After the alleged long count the Australian also accused the champion of tampering with the scales at the weigh-in.

ARNOLD BARBOZA WINS OVER TEN ROUNDS

On the undercard No 4 WBO junior welterweight Arnold Barboza Jr. 28-0; 10 retained his WBO Intercontinental junior welterweight title with a hard-earned ten-round unanimous points decision over Jose “Sniper” Pedraza 29-5-1; 14. The scores were 97-93 and 96-94 twice.

In a heavyweight bout Richard Torrez Jr. 5-0; 5 who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, won on first-round technical knockout over James Bryant 6-3; 4.

Junior lightweight Andres “Savage” Cortes 19-0; 10 took a ten-round unanimous points decision over Luis Melendez 17-3; 13.

Middleweight Nico Ali Walsh 8-0; 5 the grandson of Muhammad Ali won on points over six rounds against Eduardo Ayala 9-3-1; 3.

2016 Olympian junior welterweight Lindolfo Delgado 17-0; 13 won on points over eight rounds against Clarence Booth 21-7; 13.

In a four-round lightweight bout Emiliano “El General” Vargas 2-0; 2 son of former world junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas, outscored the southpaw Francisco Duque.