Omar Narvaez Returns, Dominates Pichardo Over Ten
By Cliff Rold
Returning from a nasty second round shelling in his last fight, 40-year old former Olympian and professional flyweight and Jr. bantamweight titlist Omar Narvaez (44-2-2, 23 KO), 114 ¾, of Trelew, Chubut, Argentina, scored a lopsided ten-round unanimous decision over 30-year old Diego Pichardo (16-7-1, 3 KO), 114 ¾, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday night in Buenos Aires.
The referee was Jorge Basile.
The quick handed Pichardo got off to a decent start, landing on the veteran and using the space of the ring. By the third, Narvaez was able to trap Pichardo on the ropes and work him with heavy leather. Not as tough to hit as he once was, Narvaez remains a tricky target and as Pichardo landed less, he landed more.
Despite a swelling right eye, Pichardo dug deep in the fifth to keep it a fight. He did it again in the sixth. Losing the fight, Pichardo was showing real spirit and making Narvaez work. In the seventh, Narvaez thought he had his man hurt and pressed for more, chasing with power punches. Trapping Pichardo in the corner, a more controlled Narvaez beat a drumbeat of shots.
The ring doctor was called in to look at the right eye of Pichardo in the ninth as the punishment got worse. The doctor deemed him fit to continue. With the left eye also showing wear, Narvaez only had to fear the errant prayer shot. Pichardo finished the fight after ten but it was no contest. Narvaez picked up the win by scores of 99-91 and 100-90 twice.
Narvaez, who lost the WBO crown to Japanese ingénue Naoya Inoue in his last fight, has said he will pursue a rematch. If such a fight occurred, it would likely come in 2016.
The card was televised in the US on TyC.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
