Narvaez Roughs Up Carmona To Keep WBO Belt In Argentina

Omar Andres Narvaez solidified his hold on the super flyweight division with a dominant display last night as the WBO champion retained his title by battering challenger David Carmona at Villa La Nata Sporting Club in the Buenos Aires suburb of Benavides, Argentina.

Mexico’s Carmona, 17 years younger than Narvaez at 21 years of age, used movement and good quick left hook to keep the southpaw champion the outside in the first round.

Narvaez, of Cordoba, Argentina, got closer in the second but his offensive lunges were missing the mark as Carmona used uppercuts to good effect. Narvaez played rough when he got inside, especially when Carmona turned southpaw.

Carmona went to the body with right ands in the third but Narvaez obtained proximity and scored well with quick, chopping right hooks. The challenger slipped on the canvas several times and seemed nervous, as Narvaez continued the rough tactics.

The fourth was a better round for Carmona as Narvaez’s activity rate dropped. Carmona got in good left hands and a few other punches until Narvaez woke up in second half of the round and bullied Carmona around ring over the last 30 seconds.

By the fifth Narvez was stalking Carmona relentlessly, rushing in to score with right hooks and the occasional left. Carmona tried to keep the champ at bay with jabs and right hands until Narvaez again stepped it up in the later part of the round.

The start of the sixth saw Carmona score with rights upstairs and down but Narvaez pinned his adversary on the ropes and landed with both hands. After getting hit flush with a right uppercut, Carmona went down from a left to the solar plexus and got up at the count of nine.

The challenger fought off Narvaez until the final seconds of the frame, when the Argentinian icon hammered him in a corner. Carmona was likely saved by the bell as the referee looked ready to stop the bout.

Narvaez punished Carmona in an unhurried fashion in the seventh. Carmona tried to stick and move, alternating between orthodox and southpaw stances but nothing could keep the champion off until Carmona’s corner threw in the towel with 22 seconds left in the round.

Narvaez goes to 41-1-2 (22) while retaining his title for the ninth occasion, Carmona falls to 16-2-4 (8).