Emanuel Navarrete unifies junior lightweight titles with dominant win over Eduardo Nunez

GLENDALE: Emanuel Navarrete produced a commanding display to dismantle Eduardo Nunez and unify the WBO and IBF junior lightweight titles on Saturday.

Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs) secured an 11th-round TKO after referee Benjamin Rodriguez halted the contest on the advice of the ringside doctor, with Nunez’s right eye swollen completely shut.

The Mexican star, ranked No.1 at 130lbs by ESPN, took control from the early stages before stepping up the tempo in the seventh round.

From that point, Navarrete’s superior speed and accuracy proved decisive. He punished Nunez, ranked No.6, with a relentless mix of body and head shots, dictating the fight at mid-range, distance and in close exchanges.

By the ninth round, Nunez’s vision was severely compromised, yet he bravely searched for a fight-changing punch.

Navarrete landed an impressive 182 of 381 power shots, a 48 per cent success rate, underlining his dominance. Despite his friendship with Nunez, he admitted there was no room for sentiment inside the ring.

“It’s difficult to see your opponent hurting in there, but you never know what might happen in the last rounds,” Navarrete said. “I needed to continue doing my work.”

Nunez accepted the stoppage with dignity, acknowledging Navarrete as the toughest fighter in the division.

Having fought only once previously this year, a no-contest against Charly Suarez, Navarrete now holds two belts, though he insists he will rest before considering potential clashes with fellow champions O’Shaquie Foster or Lamont Roach.