Emanuel Navarrete W8 Charly Suarez... “El Vaquero” returned to Pechanga Arena San Diego looking to deliver a win to his fans. He got the victory, just not the way he imagined it. Emanuel Navarrete retained his WBO junior lightweight world title Saturday evening with an eighth-round technical decision over Filipino contender Charly Suarez. The fight was halted early due to a cut over Navarrete’s left eye, which referee Edward Collantes ruled was caused by an accidental headbutt. [Instant replay showed Suarez landed a punch just before Suarez's follow through the clash of heads. It was very difficult to tell whether the punch or the head caused the cut, and the California State Athletic Commission conducted an instant replay review. Boxingtalk is of the opinion that thepunch caused the cut, which would have given Suarez the championship by TKO. It was a very difficult decision to make, and Suarez deserves a rematch.] The headbutt ruling meant that the winner wouldbe determined on the scorecards. Navarrete prevailed by scores of 77-76 (twice) and 78-75.

 

Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) came out firing, launching wild right hands and leaping left hooks that bloodied Suarez’s nose in the opening round. Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, found moments of success, sometimes landing on Navarrete’s head and sometimes just on his gloves.

 

In the sixth, Navarrete suffered the cut, and the two continued to trade heavy shots in the seventh as the Mexican began to bleed profusely. The ringside physician waved it off just after bell sounded to start round eight.

 

“It’s that warrior spirit of being a Mexican that helped us today,” Navarrete said. “I felt good, I felt strong, I felt complete. Unfortunately, what happened with the headbutt obviously it ended like that. But while we were fighting, I felt good.

 

“From the first moment of the impact, I knew it was a headbutt. It split my eyebrow completely, and from the first moment I noticed it was a headbutt.”

 

Suarez said, “Right now I’m sad, but that is part of the game, and I know that Navarrete won the fight, but that’s part of the game. I would like to make a rematch. I want a rematch with Navarrete.”