Philippines, 03 Apr 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Cowboy Up: 'Vaquero' Navarrete Retains Featherweight Crown in Bloody Battle Against Joet Gonzalez

PhilBoxing.com





Giovani Santillan Outlasts Angel Ruiz in Thrilling Co-Feature

SAN DIEGO (Oct. 15, 2021) – Emanuel "Vaquero" Navarrete and Joet Gonzalez engaged in a border war for the ages.

Navarrete (35-1, 29 KOs) retained his WBO featherweight world title with a bloody unanimous decision (118-110 and 116-112 2x) over Joet Gonzalez (24-2, 14 KOs) on Friday evening at Pechanga Arena San Diego. It was the second successful title defense for Navarrete, who moved up to the featherweight ranks last year after defending his junior featherweight crown five times.

“Without a doubt, I hurt him, but every single time he came back, and he also hurt me. A couple shots he landed hurt me during the fight," Navarrete said. “It has been an exciting ride so far, and from now on, I want the bigger fights."

The bigger fights could include an eventual move up to 130 pounds, where a match with WBC champion Oscar Valdez would be one of the biggest all-Mexican showdowns in the sport.

But on this night, Navarrete had to contend with the stubborn Gonzalez, who hung in tough despite swollen right eye in the early rounds. Navarrete threw 979 punches, including 104 in the 12th round to close the show in style.

Gonzalez said, “I thought I had it seven rounds to five, eight rounds to four. I was really surprised by that score of 118-110, I believe. But it is what it is, and I did my best.”

Santillan Thrills Hometown Crowd

Welterweight contender Giovani Santillan had not fought in his hometown in more than seven years. In front of a partisan crowd that broke out into frequent "Gio" chants, the San Diego native improved to 28-0 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Angel Ruiz (17-2, 12 KOs). The scores — 100-90 2x and 99-91 — did not reflect the game effort of Ruiz, who gave nearly as good as he received for much of the fight.

Buoyed by the local faithful, Santillan prevailed in the phone both affair and edged closer to a title shot.

Santillan said, “This is what it’s all about, a great fight in front of my amazing hometown fans. They were cheering for me all night, and it was an honor to perform for my people in San Diego.

“My father and I always wanted to fight here. It was a dream come true, and credit to Angel Ruiz for going to battle for 10 rounds. He’s a true Mexican warrior. I have nothing but respect for him.”

In other action:

Puerto Rican southpaw junior lightweight Henry "Moncho" Lebron (14-0, 9 KOs) notched the most significant win of his young career, turning back the hard-charging Dallas native Manuel Rey Rojas (21-6, 6 KOs) by eight-round unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 80-72.

Junior welterweight prospect Lindolfo Delgado (14-0, 12 KOs) won his second bout in six weeks, shutting out Juan Garcia Mendez (21-5-2, 13 KOs) over eight rounds (80-71 3x). Delgado floored Mendez with a two-punch combination in the closing stages of the eighth round.

Middleweight upstart Javier “Milwaukee Made” Martinez (5-0, 2 KOs) did not give any of that famous Midwest hospitality to Daryl Jones (4-3-1, 2 KOs), as he bested the Florida resident over six one-sided rounds by scores of 60-54 and 60-53 2x. After a second round that saw Jones nearly stopped against the ropes, the two battled the rest of the way, trading punches in the waning seconds of the sixth round.

Bantamweight prospect Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (3-0) dominated former amateur rival Jose Ramirez (1-1, 1 KO) via four-round unanimous decision, knocking Ramirez down in the opening round and cruising to a points win by scores of 39-36 and 40-35 2x.

The newest heavyweight on the block showed out. Antonio “El Gigante” Mireles, from Des Moines, Iowa, shined in his professional debut, knocking out Demonte Randle (2-2, 2 KOs) in the opening round. Mireles, a southpaw, knocked down Randle early in the first round with a right hook. Following two more knockdowns, the referee called a halt to the fight at 2:07.




Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • MANNY PACQUIAO PROMOTIONS TADURAN VS. PEREZ WEIGH-IN RESULTS
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PLANET ICE FIGHT NIGHT: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AS BROWN AND DUCAR FACE-OFF FOR FINAL TIME
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Battle of the Trades Returns for Its 3rd Year April 25 at Torrey Pines Community Resource Center in Las Vegas
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Bobby Laing vs. Russ Kimber in intriguing Intra-state match-up between Massachusetts Light Heavyweights on ‘Rumble at the Rink II’
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PH chess wizard Jacobb Seda ties for 1st, settles for silver on tiebreaks in Thailand meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Rene “Chulo” Santiago, Masataka Taniguchi Officially Make Weight for Friday’s Unified World Title Clash in Tokyo
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Marlon Tapales and Yukinori Oguni Make Weight in Clash of Former World Champions
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Taduran in high spirits ahead of title defense in California
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Waiting to beat Floyd
    By Joaquin Henson, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • 20th Philippine Xiangqi Open tournament on May 1
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Can Tapales Overpower Oguni to Increase his Chances of Another World Title Fight?
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • BROWN-DUCAR PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES IN FULL: EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID AHEAD OF FRIDAY'S ALTRINCHAM FIGHT NIGHT
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Wise Owl Boxing Makes Headlines Again with Signing of Former World Champion  Julio Cesar “El Rey” Martinez
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Santiago-Taniguchi Final Presser
    , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • Jimuel in Action on Friday!
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • “Rumble in the Une” Makes History in Union City with Star-Studded Fight Card Headlined by Jacob Macalolooy
    , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • Is Floyd chickening out?
    By Joaquin Henson, , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • Bacaro to challenge Toyoshima on April 4
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • IBA steps forward as potential organiser for Bivol vs Beterbiev trilogy bout
    , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • PBF president Almario dies
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • Portland Trail Blazers have new owner after $4.25 billion sale
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • PH chess wizard seven-year old Noah Lucas Palcis finishes second in Bangkok chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • 2 Time World Champion Marcos Maidana Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas
    , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 30 MARCH 2026: Itauma Destroys Franklin in 5; Fundora Dismantles Thurman in 6
    By Eric Armit, , Tue, 31 Mar 2026
  • Panamanian WBC Judge Jesus Aleman murdered in Panama
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 31 Mar 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.