| |
|
Navarrete drops Villa twice en route to a unanimous victory to capture the WBO featherweight title
By Dong Secuya PhilBoxing.com Sat, 10 Oct 2020

Emanuel Navarrete's unorthodox style, swarming offense, reach advantage and pop in his punches were too much for the well schooled Ruben Villa who kissed the canvas two times en route to a 12-round unanimous decision victory by the prolific Mexican fighter and captured his second division world title at the MGM Grand Bubble in Las Vegas Friday night (Saturday in Manila). Scores were 114-112 twice and 115-111 for Navarrete.
Navarrete who snatched the WBO superbantam title from Ghana's Isaac Dogboe in 2018 in sensational fashion and defended it five times before moving up in weight, wasted no time in dropping the Salinas, California native Villa in the first round with a left uppercut. Navarrete followed it up with another knockdown in the 4th round with another left to the jaw of Villa that practically sealed the fight in his favor.

Navarrete drops Villa in the first round.
It appeared it will be a matter of time before Navarrete will stop Villa but the WBO International featherweight champion, showing his tenacity and superior boxing skills, outboxed Navarrete in the latter rounds to make the scorecard closer. Villa's lack of power in his punches however, doomed his comeback as he didn't have the pop to stop Navarrete.
Navarrete, the newly minted WBO featherweight world champion, now improves his record to 32 wins, 1 loss, 27 KOs while Villa suffered his first defeat and dropped to 18 wins, 1 loss with 5 stoppages.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
TRAINING CAMP NOTES: Alex Bray Set for WBA Continental Latin American Title Clash February 20 in Orlando , Thu, 19 Feb 2026Ryan ‘The Bruiser’ Rozicki Calls out Jai Opetaia , Thu, 19 Feb 2026BREAKING NEWS: DAZN AND MATCHROOM BOXING SIGN NEW FIVE-YEAR DEAL , Thu, 19 Feb 202675 climbers start trekking to Mt. Apo today , Thu, 19 Feb 20264 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas , Thu, 19 Feb 2026TRAINING CAMP NOTES: Dainier Pero Locked In Ahead of WBA Continental USA Title Defense in Orlando , Wed, 18 Feb 2026A Milestone Birthday: Celebrating Brico Santig's 50 Years of Dedication, and Triumph By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 18 Feb 2026PH bet Chezka Centeno finishes 2nd in Florida By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 18 Feb 2026ARNOLD BARBOZA JR. AND KENNETH SIMS JR. SET FOR HIGH-STAKES CLASH IN CAN’T-MISS MAIN EVENT ON DAZN , Wed, 18 Feb 2026CALLUM SMITH VS DAVID MORRELL MEGA FIGHT SET FOR APRIL 18 IN LIVERPOOL AS PAT BROWN HEADLINES IN HIS HOMETOWN ON APRIL 3 , Wed, 18 Feb 20262026 USA Boxing Youth High Performance Selection Camp Attendees Announced , Wed, 18 Feb 2026Rapid chessfest gets underway February 22 By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 18 Feb 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 16 FEBRUARY 2026: Ajagba, Dzambekov, Ruiz Register Stoppage Wins in Zuffa Event By Eric Armit, , Tue, 17 Feb 2026Mexican government and WBC join forces to create mega-project “Boxing for Peace” By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 17 Feb 2026All eyes on GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen in Manny Pacquiao International Open dubbed as 87th Kalilangan Chess Festival 2026 By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 17 Feb 2026WBC Champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios Locked in for Ryan Garcia Showdown February 21 at T-Mobile Arena , Tue, 17 Feb 2026Dana White mocks traditional boxing promoters: "No contest, it's like hitting babies" By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 17 Feb 2026LEIGH WOOD OUTLINES PLAN OF ATTACK FOR SOLD OUT REMATCH AGAINST JOSH WARRINGTON , Tue, 17 Feb 2026Cain Velasquez released from a California State prison By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 17 Feb 2026Patrick Rivera wins Pacman's Cue Club 10-Ball Tournament; pockets P100,000 By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 17 Feb 2026Undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor Fighting again in Detroit this Sunday on Claressa Shields’ card , Tue, 17 Feb 2026TRAINING CAMP NOTES Gabriela Tellez Ready to Make a Statement This Friday in Orlando , Tue, 17 Feb 2026Rapista wins WBC Far East Silver super flyweight title By Lito delos Reyes, , Mon, 16 Feb 2026IM Christian Gian Karlo Tade-Arca faces tough competition in Manny Pacquiao International Open dubbed as 87th Kalilangan Chess Festival 2026 By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 16 Feb 2026Efe Ajagba vs Charles Martin: Zuffa Heavyweights Square Off on Sunday By Chris Carlson, , Sun, 15 Feb 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|