Ruben Villa v Emanuel Navarrete

Emanuel Navarrete has long been seen as a star in the making by Top Rank. On Friday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN) at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, he’ll get his best chance to prove that.

He’ll meet unbeaten Ruben Villa (18-0, 5 KOs) for the WBO featherweight title in a bid to be a two-weight world champion.

Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) upset Isaac Dogboe on Dec. 8, 2018, to win the WBO super bantamweight title and then made five defenses in the next 14 months.

He took a non-title bout against Uriel Lopez in June and stopped him in the sixth round, setting himself up for the bout with Villa on Friday.

At 5-7, Navarrete was tall with great length for 122 pounds, but making weight was becoming a problem.

“My body is doing a lot better,” he said. “I'm growing a little bit more. It was getting a little bit difficult making 122, but now going up to 126, I think I'm more prepared for that.

“For now, we’re pretty much ready. We’re ready for this weight. We're ready for this fight on Friday night, so I think we’re ready to go with what we have. After this fight, we're going to keep moving forward.”

Navarrete said the coronavirus pandemic didn’t interfere much with his preparations.

“My team has done a great job,” he said. “We’ve worked through it and we’re ready for this match.”

https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/bN...f-fc9aae01a0a6

This is a big step-up for Villa, who has to find a way to blunt Navarrete’s aggressiveness. Navarrete is a big puncher and if he can get off a high volume of shots, it’s going to be a problem for Villa.

Villa knows he’ll have to create angles, use his legs and disrupt Navarette’s rhythm.

“My last couple of fights, they’ve been aggressive guys who come to beat me and think they’re going to get me off my game plan,” he said. “But I adapted well. We always had good game plans and stuck to game plans, and now we’re here fighting for a world title. I feel like I'm ready. I feel like he’s beatable, and my style is the one to do it.

“He’s an aggressive guy who throws 100 punches a round. I feel like it’s just going to bring the best out of me to do my job as well as I can.”

Villa said his confidence has blossomed as he’s won those last several fights.

“I want to see the best Ruben Villa, but I haven’t even seen him yet,” Villa said. “I feel like Navarrete will bring it out of me. I’m just excited to perform and, like I said, show you guys what I got. I feel like I’ve been slept on. Maybe a lot of people think I don’t belong here, but I’m going to show everyone I'm an elite 126-pound fighter. Yeah, I’m coming to win and coming to fight.”

Per BetMGM, Villa is currently +165 with Navarrete a -200 favorite.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/box...215250866.html

I think Villa may spring the upset.

He won't be a stationary target and Navarette won't have his usual size advantage he enjoyed at 122.

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Originally Posted by Alpha

I think Villa may spring the upset.

He won't be a stationary target and Navarette won't have his usual size advantage he enjoyed at 122.

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I'd like to see Villa win. He's a Thompson Promotion fighter.

I've waned on Navarrete a bit, just seems to be running on idle and being a 250-1 favorite in his last "fight"..as champion..doesn't help. That was dreadful. Any idea why the KO was overturned to a NC btw???. Nice to see this on reg espn tonight.

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Originally Posted by Spicoli

I've waned on Navarrete a bit, just seems to be running on idle and being a 250-1 favorite in his last "fight"..as champion..doesn't help. That was dreadful. Any idea why the KO was overturned to a NC btw???. Nice to see this on reg espn tonight.

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I think Navarrete's last bout was overturned as it was not sanctioned by the Mexican commission.

Rodriguez and Alimkhanuly scoring big KOs.

This channel changing is ridiculous.

Oh looks like the gals took their masks off tonight :mwink:. So no undercard or did College Football take up all the airtime

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Originally Posted by Spicoli

Oh looks like the gals took their masks off tonight :mwink:. So no undercard or did College Football take up all the airtime

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It was shown on ESPN News.

Physically Navarrete looks in better shape here. Bit clumsy and overthrowi...down Villa goes :-X. Navarrete with the Ruddock upperhook.

Villa down in the 1st.

1-0 Navarrette (+ KD for Navarrette).

2-0 Navarrette (+ KD for Navarrette).

Navarrette looking good at this weight.

Site is very slow while trying to post.

2-1 Navarrette (+ KD for Navarrette).

Villa down again.

3-1 Navarrette (+2 KDs for Navarrette).

My lights are blinking on and off and site is slow ;D. Man beautiful left hook corked Villa around there. Tim and Ward all up Villas arse for acting like he belonged in the room before the fight :p. I hate the term 'exposed' sometimes.

4-1 Navarrette (+2 KDs for Navarrette).

4-2 Navarrette (+2 KDs for Navarrette).

Navarrete just punching through him and bulling him around now. I've seen him fight at least a half dozen times and never realized how awkward pogo legged choppy Navarrete was. Physical fella too

4-3 Navarrete (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

7th could have gone either way really.

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Originally Posted by Spicoli

Navarrete just punching through him and bulling him around now. I've seen him fight at least a half dozen times and never realized how awkward pogo legged choppy Navarrete was. Physical fella too

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Not the fastest puncher either.

4-4 (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

5-4 Villa (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

9th was another close round.

This is surreal. The fight boils down, Navarrete just cruising and announce start calling him on it. The whole round they've changed the piped in recorded background audio to fit it ;D;D. Not sure that's a good thing. They have to get rid of that stuff

5-5 (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

Close round again.

Respect to Villa but Navarrete letting him overstay the welcome just a bit, one won't mash the gas and the other is on the wrong track. Somewhere Teddy is yelling about Villa stealing food from his kitchen table ;D

6-5 Villa (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

6-6 (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

114-112 Navarrete.

Judges scores could be a mixed bag.

114-112
114-112
115-111

UD Navarrete.

114-112. Wow. Just saying in a fight you physically dominated with 2 KDs. He's way to calm with that score.

Villa did well to fight his way back after those 2 knockdowns.

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Originally Posted by Alpha

6-6 (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

114-112 Navarrete.

Judges scores could be a mixed bag.

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I watched a totally different fight ;D. But awesome on the rbr bud.

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Originally Posted by Spicoli

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alpha

6-6 (+2 KDs for Navarrete).

114-112 Navarrete.

Judges scores could be a mixed bag.

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I watched a totally different fight ;D. But awesome on the rbr bud.

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Navarrete was winning his rounds clearly and I had a couple of rounds that were toss ups, so I could see how someone could have it wider.

Navarrete will be a problem for anyone because he has a punch and an awkward style. Villa is a slick boxer and I think made it a difficult fight. I want to see Navarrete against one of the top guys now.