Far from worrying about what he would have to sacrifice economically, the only thing that mattered to world champion Emanuel 'Vaquero' Navarrete was making sure that he and his team were in optimal conditions to finally return to the ring this Saturday in the Mexican capital and do what he is most passionate about.
Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) comes back from knocking out Jeo Santísima at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in February, when he retained the World Boxing Organization super bantamweight championship for the fifth time.
It was hoped that later he would be a featured part of the undercard to the Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teófimo López lightweight unification for June, but the pandemic changed those plans. And when Zanfer told him that he could fight in Mexico City, without an audience, he did not hesitate to accept.
“Emanuel likes his job, he likes what he does. Speaking economically, that was no problem. He has always liked boxing, and when we saw this situation being complicated for all lines of work, he was happy about the possibility of getting into the ring. The economic factor had nothing to do with it, he quite likes this opportunity and that was not an impediment," said Pedro Navarrete, the head trainer, to ESPN Deportes.
"He has always wanted to be active. When the authorities asked us to close the gym, he quickly set up one in his house and we started working there. When he was told about this fight, he was happy, although of course, all measures were taken to arrive and be safe. The family and the team follow all the indications of a doctor so that no one gets [COVID-19] and thank God we are here."
As for Saturday's rival, Navarrete will face fellow Mexican Uriel 'Yuca' López (13-13-1, 6 KOs) in a non-title clash.
