Emanuel Navarrete won a title in a third division, as expected. He had to overcome dramatic adversity to do it, though.
The Mexican star was hurt badly by a left hook from late replacement and significant underdog Liam Wilson and went down moments later, which left Navarrete on the brink of being on the wrong end of a huge upset Friday in Glendale, Arizona.
However, Navarrete survived the scare, got back to work when he recovered and then stopped his Australian opponent in Round 9 to win the vacant WBO 130-pound title in his first fight at the weight.
COMEBACK COMPLETE 🇲🇽đź¤
Emanuel Navarrete battles back after being dropped early to get the TKO win. #NavarreteWilson pic.twitter.com/h2Ri1sTNpn
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) February 4, 2023
“This was an amazing victory because it tested me,” he said through a translator. “I needed to know I’m capable of going to canvas, getting up and coming out with the victory. Now I know I’m capable of doing that.”
Navarrete was supposed to have fought countryman and former beltholder Oscar Valdez but Valdez pulled out with an injury, which opened the door for the biggest opportunity of Wilson’s relatively short career.
And Wilson (11-2, 7 KOs) proved from the opening bell that he belonged in the ring with an elite opponent, fighting Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) on even terms for the first three rounds and then injecting unexpected drama in the fourth.
It started with Wilson’s signature punch, his left hook, which found Navarrete’s chin and rocked him about two minutes into the round. The shot didn’t put Navarrete down but a follow-up flurry did.
Navarrete was able to get up but was badly dazed, although he was still savvy enough to buy a few extra seconds – Wilson complained of a long count afterward — by spitting out his mouthpiece and then having difficulty putting it back in.
Wilson, apparently moments away from becoming a world champion, went for the knockout when the action resumed but Navarrete was just durable and clever enough to survive until the end of the round and shake the cobwebs in a difficult Round 5.
A clear-headed Navarrete went back to doing his thing in Round 6, which was to punish Wilson with his volume punching. He outworked Wilson in Rounds 7 and 8, which seemed to wear the underdog down and might’ve set up the knockout.
The beginning of the end was a straight right that put Wilson onto the canvas. He got up but seemed to be both hurt and tired, which made him easy prey. Navarrete unloaded power shot after power shot – connecting on many – until the referee stepped in to save Wilson from undue punishment.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:57 of Round 9.
“I’m going to be honest,” Navarrete said. “All I have to say is doing this for 10 years as a professional was worth it. My team and I worked so hard to accomplish this. And in the future, the sky’s the limit.”
That future could include a showdown with Valdez, who is now healthy. That would be another tough matchup for Navarrete, although it couldn’t be much more demanding than the early Fight of the Year candidate he endured on Friday.