Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Navarrete vs. Valdez II and Espinoza vs. Ramirez II will be presented live this Saturday, December 7, at 10:30 p.m. ET/ 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+. The event takes place at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Headlined by a pair of long-awaited rematches, the main event features Mexican action hero Emanuel Navarrete defending his WBO junior lightweight world title against countryman and former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez. Navarrete and Valdez fought in August 2023, with Navarrete earning a unanimous decision.
Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) first claimed world title glory in December 2018, winning the WBO junior featherweight belt and then making five title defenses in nine months. He won the WBO featherweight title in October 2020 and became a three-weight king champion in February 2023 when he knocked out Liam Wilson for the vacant WBO junior lightweight world title. Navarrete has defended that belt twice, including the epic first encounter with Valdez. Although his bid to become a four-division champion fell short in May against Denys Berinchyk, Navarrete returns to 130 pounds, intent on re-asserting his dominance.
Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs), a two-time Mexican Olympian, won his first world title in 2016, defending the WBO featherweight crown six times before moving up to junior lightweight. There, he claimed the WBC title with a highlight-reel knockout of Miguel Berchelt. Valdez endured his first pro defeat in a high-stakes unification tilt against Shakur Stevenson in 2022. After a comeback win in May 2023, he fell short against Navarrete before earning the interim WBO junior lightweight belt in March with a seventh-round stoppage over Wilson.
In the co-feature, WBO featherweight world champion Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza defends his crown against Cuban star Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez, the man he dethroned to win the title last December.
Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) built his career in Mexico, fighting all but two of his pro bouts there before facing Ramirez in Florida. He overcame a fifth-round knockdown and sealed the fight with a crucial 12th-round knockdown, securing a majority decision in what was hailed as ESPN’s Upset of the Year. Espinoza made his first defense in June with a decisive fourth-round TKO over fellow Mexican Sergio Chirino. Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs), a two-time Olympic gold medalist, made one defense of the WBO title he won via unanimous decision over Isaac Dogboe in April 2023.
The action-packed undercard bouts begin at 5:30 p.m. ET/ 2:30 p.m. PT on ESPN+.
ESPN’s Joe Tessitore, Timothy Bradley, Jr., Mark Kriegel, and Bernardo Osuna will call the action.
ESPN.com:
Out Thursday: Ranking the Fights for December 7
Nick Parkinson looks at the three boxing cards on the same night, ranks the best fights and shares his thoughts on why you should watch.
Out Friday: Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez by the Numbers
Using stats from CompuBox and SIG, we look at the anticipated rematch between Navarrete and Valdez by the numbers.
ESPN Original Series “The Fight Life” chronicles a year in the world of Top Rank Boxing through the journeys of five of the sport’s elite boxers: Tyson Fury, Naoya Inoue, Seniesa Estrada, Teofimo Lopez, and Josh Taylor.
ESPN+: On Demand Shows, Archives & Premium Articles
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- Who Do U Fight 4?– Learn what drivesthe next generation of Top Rank stars.
- State of Boxing– Post-show coverage of the biggest fights on ESPN and ESPN+.
- Best of Boxing Spotlight – An archive of the all-time best Top Rank fights.
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Navarrete vs. Valdez (All Times ET)
| Date | Time | Event | Fights | Title (s) | Platform |
| Thu., Dec 5 | 4 p.m. | Main Card Press Conference | — | — | ESPN+ |
| Fri., Dec 6 | 3 p.m. | Weigh-in | — | — | |
| Sat., Dec 7 | 10:30 p.m. | Main | Emanuel Navarrete (C) vs. Oscar Valdez | WBO Jr. Lightweight | ESPN, ESPN Deportes,ESPN+(simulcast) |
| Co-Feature | Rafael Espinoza (C) vs. Robeisy Ramirez | WBO Featherweight | |||
| 5:30 p.m. | Feature | Lindolfo Delgado vs. Jackson Marinez | — | ESPN+ | |
| Undercard | Richard Torrez Jr. vs. Isaac Munoz | ||||
| Undercard | Albert Gonzalez vs. Gerardo Antonio Perez | ||||
| Undercard | Steven Navarro vs. Gabriel Bernardi | ||||
| Undercard | Giovani Santillan vs. Frederick Lawson | ||||
| Undercard | Art Barrera Jr. vs. Juan Carlos Campos Medina | ||||
| Undercard | Cesar Morales vs. Kevin Mosquera | ||||
| Undercard | DJ Zamora vs. Roman Ruben Reynoso |
