ROBBERY TO BE DOWNGRADED: NO CONTEST ?
SAN DIEGO – The California State Athletic Commission is expected to convert Emanuel Navarrete’s controversial technical decision victory over Charly Suarez to a no-contest, BoxingScene learned Saturday night.
A cut at Navarrete’s left eyebrow in the sixth round had been ruled the result of an accidental clash of heads. The fight ended at the start of the eighth and was sent to the scorecards. In the hours after an immediate judgment was made to award Navarrete the WBO junior lightweight title fight victory at Pechanga Arena, a subsequent replay emerged showing the champion’s cut was caused by challenger Charly Suarez’s left-handed punch.
If that had been the final decision in the minutes after ringside physician Dr. Robert Ruelaz ruled the fight to be stopped, Suarez would have been declared the winner by technical knockout.
Instead, referee Edward Collantes immediately ruled that the clash of heads caused the cut, and video replay official Jack Reiss said there was no conclusive evidence from the initial scenes he reviewed to overturn that call.
“Our rules on replay say unless it’s undisputed, the referee’s call shall stand, and this was very disputable," Reiss told BoxingScene. “I had quite a few looks at it. But nothing up close. And nothing at the correct angle.”
However, the later footage revealed Suarez’s punch opened the cut, and that has convinced the California commission to adapt, and label the outcome a no-contest that will provoke a rematch ordered by the WBO.
Following Saturday night’s confusing events, both fighters provided divergent explanations.
While the Philippines’ Suarez insisted his punch opened Navarrete’s cut, the champion from Mexico maintained it was Suarez’s head that caused a cut “two layers deep” and forced the bout’s outcome to the scorecards, which were returned 77-76 (Lou Moret), 78-75 (Pat Russell), 77-76 (Fernando Villareal) in Navarrete’s favor.
“I felt it was a headbutt. I saw the review. It seems like a punch, but it exploded two layers of skin,” Navarrete said to reporters while standing as the winner. “I didn’t want it to end. I was fine to keep going. I felt like the best rounds were still to come. But the doctor stopped the fight.”
He agreed Suarez gave him a demanding bout, and said, “He would be a great opponent. He is a great opponent. So a rematch would be good.”
Suarez, who took an 18-0 record into the bout, said he feels a rematch is justified given the dispute over the way it was settled.
“I thought I had a chance to win the fight. I had five more rounds to try to win,” if the bout hadn’t been stopped, Suarez said.
The fight was a highly entertaining scrap that saw both men swing for the proverbial fences, with each rocked in various moments.
Suarez said it reminded him of countryman Manny Pacquiao’s epic brawls with Mexican warriors, including Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
Suarez said he was saddened by the turn of events against him, but obeying the rulings instead of vehemently arguing with officials.
“I respect Navarrete because he’s a good boxer, and he’ll give me a chance to rematch after a fight that was entertaining,” Suarez said. “I’m sad, but I have the hope they will give me another chance. Maybe next time.”
Top Rank Vice President of Operations Carl Moretti immediately said after the bout that he would push for a rematch.
Navarrete had great difficulty making weight for the 130lbs title defense, but he said he didn’t feel weakened during the bout and he’ll decide during the two-month cut healing period if he’ll remain as champion or try again at lightweight after a title-fight loss at 135lbs last year.
“You saw the level of that fight and how it developed – in the seven rounds, I think we threw more punches than all of those fights [Canelo Alvarez-William Scull, Devin Haney-Jose Ramirez] last weekend,” Navarrete said. “I felt good. I felt competent. There were opponents you can say he made me look limited, but there were alternatives.
“Yes, there was pressure in making weight – 0.4 pounds with time against [me]. But the weight was made, I recovered, I felt good in there.
“The work we did in the fight is the work we planned.
“I’ll see what comes and make a decision,” on the rematch.
*Story courtesy of BoxingScene.
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