Steven Navarro hopes to have people mentioning his name as one of the best up-and-comers in the junior bantamweight division after Saturday. 

Navarro returns against Juan Esteban Garcia at Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The bout will be an eight-round junior bantamweight contest. 

Navarro, 5-0 (4 KOs), fought five times in his first year as a professional, with four of those five fights being with Top Rank Inc., the promoter he signed with before his second fight. Navarro, a 21-year-old from Los Angeles, is a decorated amateur with the kind of elite pedigree which could move him quickly through the division. He believes Saturday is the start of him fulfilling his dreams.

“I expect to open a lot of eyes,” Navarro told BoxingScene. “I'm going to show people there is a new chapter in boxing and it is coming from Steven Navarro.”

Navarro believes that at some point this year you will hear his name brought up alongside the other great titleholders of the division such as Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. Navarro is looking to do what all great young fighters aim to do – standout.

“I think you are going to hear people asking how I would do against the top names in the division very soon,” Navarro said. “That's what I want to hear from people because then I get to prove some people wrong and prove others right.”

On Saturday Navarro will face Garcia, 14-1-2 (11 KOs), who enters on a three-fight win streak after his lone defeat to Luis Hernandez in 2023. Garcia, a 27-year-old from Mexicali, Mexico, has nearly three times the professional experience as Navarro. Preparation is vital for Navarro as he credits his training with his success in the ring. He is trained by his father Refugio “Cuco” Navarro.

“I know if I'm having an amazing camp and am putting 120 percent into each training camp, you'll just see me having fun in the ring,” Navarro said. “I'm just going to show that I am a very high-level fighter and that the sky's the limit with me.”