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Pick it: Emanuel Navarrete vs. Charly Suarez
When and how to watch: Saturday, May 10. The main broadcast begins at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (3 a.m. BST) on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+.
A preliminary undercard will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET (10:30 p.m. BST).
Why to watch: Navarrete, 39-2-1 (32 KOs), is a 30-year-old three-division titleholder who previously held belts at junior featherweight and featherweight. He is making the fourth defense of the WBO junior lightweight belt he won in early 2023.
Since picking up that vacant title against Liam Wilson, Navarrete has outpointed former titleholder Oscar Valdez; fought to a draw with Robson Conceicao; moved up to lightweight and lost a split decision to Denys Berinchyk in a bout for a vacant belt; and returned to 130lbs and clobbered Valdez for six rounds in their December rematch.
Suarez, 18-0 (10 KOs), is a 36-year-old in his first-ever title fight; he is ranked No. 1 by the WBO. He competed in the 2016 Olympics and lost to future pro titleholder Joe Cordina. Suarez finally entered the paid ranks in 2019. Among his recent-ish fights: a come-from-behind, 12th-round TKO of the 28-0-1 Paul Fleming in March 2023 and a three-round stoppage of the 17-3 Jorge Castaneda last September.
Suarez is past what are usually considered the prime years for a fighter, though he also hasn’t been in that many fights, and therefore hasn’t taken the kind of punishment that someone his age otherwise would have. He also hasn’t had the kind of high-level experience that Navarrete has. Will Suarez be able to score the upset or will Navarrete move forward to the next challenge?
In the co-feature, lightweights Raymond Muratalla and Zaur Abdullaev will meet for the IBF’s interim belt – and it’s highly possible that the winner of this fight will be upgraded to the primary titleholder later on.
That’s because the primary title belongs to Vasiliy Lomachenko, last seen in the ring in May 2024, when he won the vacant belt with an 11th-round TKO of George Kambosos Jnr. Lomachenko isn’t expected to remain in boxing much longer and might retire without ever fighting again.
Muratalla, 22-0 (17 KOs), fought three times in 2024, the most notable being his July 2024 unanimous decision over Tevin Farmer.
Abdullaev, 20-1 (12 KOs), was finished after four rounds with Devin Haney back in 2019 but is now on a nine-fight winning streak. In his last appearance, Abdullaev scored a TKO12 over the 20-1 Juan Javier Carrasco in October.
The undercard includes separate bouts featuring junior lightweight Andres Cortes, 22-0 (12 KOs); welterweight Giovani Santillan, 33-1 (18 KOs); featherweight Albert Gonzalez, 13-0 (7 KOs); junior featherweight Sebastian Hernandez Reyes, 19-0 (18 KOs); and lightweight Alan Garcia, 15-1 (11 KOs).
More Fights to Watch
Friday, May 9: Dainier Pero vs. Cesar Navarro (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 a.m. BST).
Pero, 10-0 (8 KOs), is a 25-year-old from Cuba whose older brother, Lenier, is also an unbeaten heavyweight prospect. Dainier will be fighting for the sixth straight time at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Florida.
Navarro, 13-2 (11 KOs), is a 25-year-old from Mexico who turned pro as a welterweight in 2017 and fought eight times in 10 months before leaving the sport in 2018. When Navarro returned to the ring in 2023, it was as a heavyweight – and he suffered a decision loss to the 13-1-1 Adam Stewart. Aside from one bout near the light heavyweight limit, Navarro has otherwise been in the unlimited weight class. His second defeat came via decision to the 7-0 Fernely Feliz Jnr in 2024. Navarro has won twice since.
The undercard includes two fights between unbeaten lightweight prospects: Tayden Beltran, 10-0-1 (5 KOs), will face Corey Marksman, 10-0-1 (7 KOs); and Kaipo Gallegos, 8-0-1 (6 KOs), will meet Pedro Castaneda Castro, 8-0-1 (5 KOs).
Friday, May 9: Andreas Katzourakis vs. Roberto Cruz (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. BST).
Katzourakis, 15-0 (10 KOs), is back for the first time since his split decision win over Brandon Adams last November in the finale of a junior middleweight tournament. Given how much talent there is at 154lbs, there’s still time for the 27-year-old to develop before jumping into the deep end.
Cruz, 11-0 (7 KOs), is also an unbeaten 27-year-old, though this will be a step up in level of competition for him. Cruz is fighting for the first time in 13 months, dating back to his April 2024 stoppage of the 12-2-1 Terry Chatwood.
This event at the Red Owl Boxing Arena in Houston, Texas, is also expected to feature several prospects in separate fights: junior welterweight Breyon Gorham, 18-0 (15 KOs); junior welterweight Giovanni Marquez, 12-0 (6 KOs); super middleweight Nathan Lugo, 3-0 (3 KOs); and middleweight Elijah Lugo, 1-0 (0 KOs).
Friday, May 9: Andy Dominguez vs. Nelvis Rodriguez (DAZN)
UPDATE: This show has been canceled due to Rodriguez coming in significantly overweight.
Dominguez, 12-1 (6 KOs), is a 27-year-old who has won two in a row since being widely outpointed by flyweight contender Yankiel Rivera in February 2024. Although Dominguez has been competing at 112lbs of late, this bout with Rodriguez at New York City’s Sony Hall is listed as taking place at 108lbs.
Rodriguez, 10-2 (5 KOs), is a 25-year-old coming off back-to-back defeats. He was stopped in five rounds by the 1-0 Ari Bonilla in December and then lost a decision in February to 19-3-1 former strawweight titleholder Wilfredo Mendez.
Saturday, May 10: Anthony Cacace vs. Leigh Wood (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (6:30 p.m. BST).
Cacace, 23-1 (8 KOs), is a former junior lightweight titleholder who shocked Joe Cordina via eighth-round TKO for the IBF belt almost a year ago – and then never defended it. His unanimous decision win over Josh Warrington last September was a non-title bout because Warrington was unranked by the sanctioning body. And then Cacace vacated the belt in January, prioritizing bigger fights beyond his mandatory defense obligations.
All of which brings the 36-year-old from Northern Ireland to the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham in England, where he will face Leigh Wood.
Wood, 28-3 (17 KOs), a former featherweight titleholder, is returning from a 19-month layoff. He was last in the ring in October 2023, when he came from behind to stop Josh Warrington in the seventh round. There were talks of a rematch with Warrington, but they never reached an agreement.
The undercard includes a featherweight bout between Liam Davies, 16-1 (8 KOs), and Kurt Walker, 12-0 (2 KOs). Davies was last seen dropping a split decision to junior featherweight Shabaz Masoud in November. Also, lightweight Sam Noakes, 16-0 (14 KOs), will face Patrik Balaz, 13-4-1 (5 KOs).
Saturday, May 10: Erickson Lubin vs. Ardreal Holmes Jnr (ProBox TV)
The broadcast begins at 6 p.m. Eastern Time (11 p.m. BST).
This is an IBF junior middleweight title eliminator between a fighter who’s fallen short twice, and a prospect who wants to be considered as a contender.
Lubin, 26-2 (18 KOs), was a top prospect when he challenged Jermell Charlo for a title at 154lbs in 2017. Charlo knocked Lubin out in the first round. Lubin rebuilt and added some decent wins, including victories over Terrell Gausha and Jeison Rosario. That landed him a fight with Sebastian Fundora in 2022 for the WBC’s interim belt. They dragged each other into a war, dropped each other once apiece, and Lubin was slightly ahead on the scorecards when his concerned trainer stopped the fight after the ninth round. Lubin has won twice since; his last appearance in the ring was a controversial decision over Jesus Ramos Jnr in September 2023.
Holmes, 17-0 (6 KOs), is 30 years old and is actually 14 months older than Lubin. He spent more than two years out of the ring before returning in early 2022. In December, Holmes outpointed the 9-0 Edwine Humaine Jnr.
The IBF titleholder at 154lbs is Bakhram Murtazaliev.
The undercard at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida, includes a junior featherweight title fight between WBA beltholder Nazarena Romero, 14-0-2 (8 KOs), and Mayelli Flores Rosquero, 12-1-1 (4 KOs); as well as separate fights featuring welterweight Nicklaus Flaz, 14-2 (9 KOs); junior middleweight prospect Darrelle Valsaint, 12-0 (10 KOs); light heavyweight prospect Najee Lopez, 13-0 (10 KOs); and junior lightweight prospect Dominic Valle, 10-0 (7 KOs).
(Note: BoxingScene.com is owned by ProBox.)
Saturday, May 10: Souleymane Cissokho vs Egis Kavaliauskas (TBD)
Update: This show had been scheduled to stream on ESPN+ but will no longer be on the network "due to unforeseen technical issues," according to Top Rank.
The main event at the Centre de Conference de Sipopo in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, is a WBC welterweight title elimination bout between Cissokho vs. Kavaliauskas.
Cissokho, 17-0 (9 KOs), is a 33-year-old who has not fought since November 2023, when he won a unanimous decision over the 16-1 Isaias Lucero.
Kavaliauskas, 24-2-1 (19 KOs), is a 36-year-old who hasn’t fought since December 2023, when he took out the 14-12-2 Jose Marruffo in three rounds. His record includes a TKO6 win over David Avanesyan in 2018, a draw with Ray Robinson in 2019, a ninth-round TKO loss to Terence Crawford in a welterweight title fight in 2019, and an eighth-round TKO loss to Vergil Ortiz Jnr in 2021.
The WBC titleholder at 147lbs is Mario Barrios.
Saturday, May 10: Muhammad Waseem vs Wiston Orono (TrillerTV)
The broadcast begins at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (3 p.m. BST).
Waseem, 13-2 (9 KOs), returned last October after two and a half years away, dispatching a gimme opponent. Waseem has twice fought for flyweight titles, losing decisions to Moruti Mthalane in 2018 and Sunny Edwards in March 2022. This bout is listed as taking place at bantamweight.
Orono, 16-5 (14 KOs), lost a decision in December to the 24-5 Junior Leandro Zarate. Orono fought again in January, though that was a 13-second win over an 0-5 opponent.
This fight will be held at the Quetta Polo Club in Waseem’s hometown of Quetta, Pakistan.
Saturday, May 10: David Cardenas vs Josue Morales (KSAT.com)
The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. BST).
Cardenas, 8-0 (6 KOs), is a 20-year-old flyweight from San Antonio, Texas, who is headlining at the city’s R&J Music Pavilion.
Morales, 32-18-4 (13 KOs), is a 32-year-old veteran who has never been stopped in any of his defeats. He’s here to give Cardenas rounds in the bank and another victory on his record.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
