Emanuel Navarrete gets ready to defend his WBO super featherweight title against Charly Suarez on Saturday, May 10. The fight will take place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, promoted by Top Rank.
Navarrete, the Mexican champion with a record of 39-2-1 (32 KOs), steps into the ring for his fourth defense of the 130-pound title. He's coming off a convincing victory over Oscar Valdez in December 2024. Before that, Navarrete tried to grab a title in a fourth weight class but fell short against Denys Berinchyk in May 2023.
On the other side of the ring, Filipino challenger Charly Suarez brings an undefeated record of 18-0 (10 KOs) to his first world championship fight. At 36 years old, Suarez has worked his way up to become the WBO's number one contender and mandatory challenger.
The co-main event features an IBF interim lightweight title fight between Raymond Muratalla and Zaur Abdullaev. Muratalla, 28, boasts a perfect record of 22-0 (17 KOs) and holds the third spot in the IBF lightweight rankings. He's fresh off a TKO victory over Jesus Antonio Perez Campos in November.
Abdullaev, a 31-year-old Russian fighter, enters the bout with a 20-1 (12 KOs) record. He's built up an impressive streak of eight straight wins since his only loss to Devin Haney in September 2019. Abdullaev's most recent fight saw him secure a unanimous decision victory over Roger Gutierrez in February 2024.
Both Muratalla and Abdullaev hold high rankings in the lightweight division. Muratalla is ranked first by the WBO and third by the IBF, while Abdullaev sits at second in the IBF rankings and third in the WBO.
This card promises exciting action with championship implications in two weight classes. Fans can look forward to seeing if Navarrete can continue his reign at super featherweight and which lightweight contender will emerge with the interim title.
