Liam Wilson: record, next fight and profile →
Australia’s Liam Wilson is still fuming over this past Friday's stoppage loss at the hands of Emanuel Navarrete in Glendale, Arizona. Willson traveled to hostile territory to collide with Navarrete for the vacant WBO super featherweight championship.
Glendale, Arizona - Emanuel Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) became a three division world champion, as he captured the vacant WBO super featherweight title on Friday night.
Emanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete visited the canvas, but he got back up to become a three-division world champion. Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) captured the vacant WBO junior lightweight world title with a hard-earned ninth-round technical knockout victory against Liam Wilson (11-2, 7 KOs) Friday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
By Jake Donovan - Emanuel Navarrete survived the first knockdown of his career to join esteemed company among his beloved countrymen. A wild shootout with Australia’s Liam Wilson saw both fighters hit the deck but with Navarrete left as the last man standing to claim a ninth-round stoppage win. Mexico’s Navarrete was down in round four but rallied back to drop
Liam Wilson plans to have answers for everything Emanuel Navarrete brings into the ring. For now, his team demands answers for everything that happened at the scales. The visiting Australian contender was stunned at his announced weight of 126.3 pounds during Thursday’s official pre-fight weigh-in. Navarrete stepped on the same scale at 129.2 pounds under the supervision of the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission ahead of their vacant WBO junior lightweight title fight at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona (Friday, ESPN, 10:00 p.m. ET).
Liam Wilson has flown halfway around the world for his first major title shot but will feel right at home in the ring. On deck for the visiting Australian is a dangerous showdown versus Emanuel Navarrete. The two will meet for the vacant WBO junior lightweight title this Friday (ESPN, 10:00 p.m. ET) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The stars were perfectly aligned during this training camp for Liam Wilson. Original plans called for the Australian junior lightweight to face England’s Archie Sharp on the undercard of the January 28 Jermell Charlo-Tim Tszyu junior middleweight championship in Las Vegas. Wilson was pulled from the show just in time, when his team accepted an offer to replace an injured Oscar Valdez versus Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO junior lightweight title scheduled for just six days later.
Navarrete, Wilson Weights Photos Gallery - The Top Rank on ESPN 2023 schedule continues with a world title card on Friday evening at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. (photos by Mikey Williams)
Emanuel Navarrete insisted prior to fight week that he is not yet done with the featherweight division. That said, the 28-year-old Mexican looked comfortable at Thursday’s weigh-in ahead of his bid to become a three-division titlist. Navarrete was 129.2 pounds for his scheduled twelve-round fight with Australia’s Liam Wilson, who checked in at a career-light 126.3 pounds for his U.S. debut.
Navarrete, Wilson Final Press Conference Photos Gallery - The main event is a battle for the vacant WBO junior lightweight world title, as Emanuel "Vaquero" Navarrete (36-1, 30 KOs) seeks to become a three-weight world champion against Australian upstart Liam Wilson (11-1, 7 KOs).