There were separate points in 2020 where Ruben Villa and Emanuel Navarrete both believed they would be fighting for the same title, though against other opponents.

To their credit, a fight between the two was relatively easy to get done once alternate plans didn’t quite pan out as hoped.

Villa and Navarrete will collide on October 9, live on ESPN+ from the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Top Rank formally announced on Tuesday as part of a stacked five-weekend block in October. The vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) title will be at stake, with this matchup serving as the second ordered fight by the sanctioning body since the belt became available upon being vacated by Shakur Stevenson (14-0, 8KOs) earlier this summer.

“It was always the plan, to get a title eliminator or a title shot before 2020 ended,” Villa told BoxingScene.com. “That was before COVID-19 hit, and whatever politics tried to get in the way.

“But we never doubted that our time would come and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

Navarrete (32-1, 28KOs) aims to become a two-division titlist after enjoying a successful—and breakneck—junior featherweight title run. The 25-year old from San Juan Zitaltepec, Mexico managed to cram six title fights into a 14-month reign dating back to a 12-round win over then-unbeaten WBO 122-pound titlist Isaac Dogboe in December 2018.

Five successful defenses followed, all coming within a nine-month clip beginning with a one-sided 12th round stoppage of Ghana’s Dogboe in their rematch last May. The win was the first of a current six-fight knockout streak, including an 11th round stoppage of Jeo Santisima this past February for his final title defense.

“The requirement to make the 122-pound weight limit was increasingly difficult,” Navarrete noted upon vacating his title earlier this summer. 

The decision came shortly after Navarrete officially moved up to featherweight, where he scored a 6th round knockout of Uriel Lopez this past June in Mexico City for his most recent ring appearance.

Villa (18-0, 5KOs) has been out since a 10-round win over Alexei Collado this past January in Shreveport, Louisiana. The bout marked the fourth straight stern test for the Salinas, California native since advancing from prospect to contender, having survived each challenge in convincing fashion—and in wins which have aged remarkably well all within the span of just over a year.

Ruben Cervera was unbeaten prior to suffering an eight-round shutout at the crafty hands of Villa. A subsequent 3rd round stoppage to Miguel Marriaga has since been followed with three straight wins, including back-to-back Bubble wins over Clay Burns in July and Rennard Oliver this past weekend. Luis Lopez and Jose Durante Vivas have also come up big in The Bubble in recent months, both after losing to Villa who entered 2020 as the number two-ranked WBO contender, second only to Belfast’s Michael Conlan.

Hopes of a showdown with the two-time Olympian and 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist disappeared once Conlan (14-0, 8KOs) decided to instead make a title run at junior featherweight. Somehow, it also squeezed Villa out of the mix, as the WBO had installed both Navarrete and former 122-pound titlist Jessie Magdaleno ahead of him. Efforts to make a title fight between the newest top two contenders fell apart over money, paving the way for Villa to re-enter the equation and challenge for his first career title.

“Conlan was always a target of ours, but Navarrete being a former world champion will make the win even sweeter,” vows Villa.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox