Charly Suarez should wake up on Sunday as the new WBO super featherweight champion after facing Emanuel Navarrete.
The Filipino puncher landed a full-force blow on Navarette, opening up a cut that ultimately ended the fight. However, in another black eye to the sport, nobody officiating the event could reach the correct decision.
That’s despite ESPN replays showing Navarrete’s cut opened up directly after the punch landed.
“El Vaquero” got the benefit of the doubt on Saturday night at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, even with the evidence presented. The result left fans and media witnessing the events wondering how some officials get licensed to oversee boxers fulfilling their dreams.
Suarez had his ripped away at the age of 36, and may never again have that kind of opportunity to become a world champion. He was a correct decision away from being 19-0 and holding the WBO super featherweight title.
What happens now will probably be a rematch to compound his misery rather than overturning the result.
Referee Edward Collantes called a halt one second into the eighth round as Navarrete’s cut over his left eye from a sixth-round haymaker was too severe. Collantes ruled an accidental clash of heads, but replays showed otherwise.
Nonetheless, as judges came back with close scores of 77-76 twice and 78-75 for Navarette, the Mexican retained the title via technical decision. It should have been a technical knockout for Suarez.
Even with the video help, Suarez still managed to walk away empty-handed.
Navarrete improved to 40-2-1 and 32 KOs but faced a backlash on social media, alongside his promoters, Top Rank.
Speaking about his ‘win’ in the aftermath, Navarette insisted Suarez headbutted him.
“It’s that warrior spirit of being a Mexican that helped us today,” Navarrete said.
“I felt good, I felt strong, I felt complete. Unfortunately, what happened with the headbutt obviously it ended like that. But while we were fighting, I felt good.
“From the first moment of the impact, I knew it was a headbutt. It split my eyebrow completely, and from the first moment I noticed it was a headbutt.”
Suarez was gracious despite the dumbfounding turn of events. The 2016 Olympian said, “Right now I’m sad, but that is part of the game.
“I know that Navarrete won the fight, but that’s part of the game. I would like to make a rematch. I want a rematch with Navarrete.”
Sadly, any Navarrete vs. Suarez rematch would be a small justice. The only decision to make is to overturn the result.
