Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk both successfully weighed in for their upcoming 12-round battle for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Navarrete, the favorite in this fight, stepped on the scale at 135 lbs, while Berinchyk, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist, weighed in at 134.8 lbs. Navarrete, with a record of 38-1-1 and 31 KOs, is moving up in weight from 130 in pursuit of his fourth division world title. Despite still holding a belt at 130 with the WBO, Navarrete has his sights set on capturing the lightweight title. If he emerges victorious, he could potentially face IBF lightweight champion Vasily Lomachenko in the future.
Navarrete will have to deliver a significantly better performance against Berinchyk than he did in his last fight against Robson Conceição. The previous bout resulted in a controversial draw, with some believing that Navarrete was fortunate to escape with a decision. The judges’ decision to award Navarrete the victory sparked controversy, highlighting the risk of overly relying on favorable decisions. In fact, if not for dubious officiating in his favor, Navarrete could have been entering Saturday’s fight with a less impressive record, casting doubts on the trajectory of his career.
In the chief support bout of the event, Giovanni Santillan and Brian Norman Jr. faced off for the WBO interim welterweight title. Santillan, boasting an undefeated record of 32-0 with 17 KOs, weighed in at 146.4 lbs, while Norman Jr. tipped the scales at 146.5 lbs. However, the status of the WBO welterweight champion, Terence Crawford, remains uncertain. Despite his reluctance to defend the title or return to the division, Crawford continues to hold onto the belt. The winner of the Santillan vs. Norman Jr. contest is likely to be promoted to full champion once the WBO resolves Crawford’s inactive status, a decision that is eagerly anticipated.
Additional fighters on the card also successfully made weight for their respective bouts. Richard Torrez weighed in at 229.9 lbs, while his opponent Brandon Moore came in at 229.4 lbs. Similarly, Jonny Mansour weighed 134 lbs, and Anel Dudo weighed 130.8 lbs for their matchup. Emiliano Fernando Vargas weighed in at 139.6 lbs, with Angel Varela at 140 lbs. Alan Garcia tipped the scales at 137.8 lbs, while Wilfredo Flores weighed 136.9 lbs. Jonathan Lopez came in at 127.1 lbs, and Edgar Ortega weighed 127.6 lbs. Lastly, Art Barrera Jr. weighed in at 146 lbs.
The weigh-in for the Navarrete vs. Berinchyk fight sets the stage for an intense battle for the WBO lightweight title. With Navarrete’s ambitions driving him to new heights, coupled with the implications of the Santillan vs. Norman Jr. matchup, fight fans can anticipate an action-packed event this Saturday night.