Oscar Valdez will challenge Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO Super Featherweight Championship vacated by Shakur Stevenson earlier this year. Airing on ESPN, the bout is set to take place on February 3, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.
Valdez is a 31-year-old two-division champion with a record of 31-1. The Mexican fighter rose to international prominence following his dominating win against former champion Miguel Berchelt in February 2021. Seven months later, he earned a unanimous decision victory against Robson Conceição. However, he lost the WBC Super Featherweight Championship in his first loss against Shakur Stevenson in April 2022.
Valdez’s opponent, Emanuel Navarrete, is also a two-division world champion out of Mexico. At 27 years old, Navarrete stands 5’7 with a reach of 72 inches. In 37 fights, he has amassed a record of 36-1 with 30 knockouts. In his most recent bout, Navarrete fell behind on the scorecards before scoring a sudden sixth-round knockout against Eduard Baez.
Adding to the Navarrete-Valdez event, Jose Pedraza and Arnold Barboza Jr. will take part in a super lightweight bout on ESPN in Glendale, Arizona on the same night. Both fights will be presented on ESPN via Top Rank.
The Oscar Valdez-Emanuel Navarrete fight for the vacant WBO junior lightweight title is set for Feb. 3 in Glendale, Arizona, sources told @MikeCoppinger.
A junior welterweight bout between Jose Pedraza and Arnold Barboza Jr. will serve as the co-main event. pic.twitter.com/CKXrwdljx2
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) December 8, 2022
